Chapter 139: Eight Heroes Battle the Sword Demon
Page 1 of 3
The Poison King gave a contemptuous laugh. A streak of light sprang from his poison gourd, feinting left and right before circling around the trident of the Vajra Avatar. On closer inspection, it was a strange serpent glittering with scales. It coiled tightly around the weapon, then exploded with a bang. The Vajra Avatar let out a thunderous roar before dissolving into thin air.
The two sword masters of the Sword Sect, Guo Binyuan and Meng Songyu, did not draw their swords. Instead, they retreated several yards and used their fingers as swords, simultaneously channeling sword energy. In moments, the sky was filled with multicolored sword qi, and the shrill sound of its passage rang throughout heaven and earth. Both men were battle-hardened and widely experienced. Fearing that their magical treasures might be destroyed by the Poison King, they chose wisely, fighting with sword energy formed at their fingertips and giving it everything they had.
The other cultivator, Daoist Qingxu of the Taiji Academy, had witnessed the death of his fellow disciple. With a howl of grief, he rapidly formed hand seals and summoned his unique spiritual weapon, the Azure Radiance Eight Trigrams Seal, which descended upon the Poison King.
The Eight Trigrams Seal was about a foot square. The moment it was released, it spun rapidly and expanded in the wind. The engraved trigrams shone with dazzling azure light, spreading outward in layer upon layer. Its imposing force was no less than the sky-filling sword qi, and its brilliance was blinding.
The Yin-Yang Impermanence Shovel and the Azure Radiance Eight Trigrams Seal struck almost simultaneously. Then thousands upon thousands of sword energies tore through the air, while light of every color enveloped the Poison King, concealing his expression.
“Hahahaha! A Hundred Hands of Ten Thousand Poisons!”
The Poison King threw back his head and laughed hideously. A sinister gleam suddenly burst from his blood-red eyes. His body underwent another grotesque transformation. The black poisonous banner became a cloud of black mist beneath him. Then came several wet, ripping sounds as flesh was pierced. The fiend’s originally normal body abruptly swelled, and countless arms sprouted from the skin of his chest, armpits, and back.
They were as thick as iron and more than ten feet long, covered in coarse hair, nothing like human arms. Their razor-sharp nails resembled blades and daggers, black qi curling around them. Nearly a hundred arms thrashed wildly. Beneath the black mist, the Poison King’s face could no longer be seen. What towered before them was a monster four or five yards tall.
Boom! Boom!
The arms born from the Poison King smashed into the two magical treasures. In an instant, both sides suffered grievously. Seven or eight arms were forcibly severed, while the Yin-Yang Impermanence Shovel hung from one of his remaining limbs, black qi rapidly spreading over it. It had plainly been subdued by the Poison King.
A claw pierced through the Azure Radiance Eight Trigrams Seal, shattering it into fragments. Daoist Qingxu suffered blow after blow and spat out a pool of filthy blood.
Countless sword energies shrieked through the air, meeting those hundred grotesque and terrifying arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One barrage ended, followed by another, and then another.
Guo Binyuan and Meng Songyu moved through the air like madmen, alternating positions as they drove waves of sword qi against the Poison King. After only a few dozen breaths, both were panting heavily and had exhausted their strength. They hurriedly withdrew from the battle and swallowed several spiritual pills.
Within the black mist, half of the Poison King’s hundred arms had already been destroyed. Black, bloody stumps hung from his body, making him hideous beyond description. His hoarse, cackling laughter was enough to make one’s scalp crawl.
This monster was more terrifying and revolting than even the savage beasts of the wilderness. Lin Feng and Daoist Qingxu were just preparing to unleash their magical treasures again when the Poison King’s bizarre body suddenly sent a foul wind sweeping toward them. His sharp nails lengthened by thirty feet, descending upon the two men like flashes of blades and swords.
Daoist Qingxu was already weak and could not evade in time. With a shriek, his body was sliced into four pieces at the waist. His head flew high into the air as blood and flesh scattered across the sky.
Relying on the Rain-Treading Star-Plucking Steps, Lin Feng barely avoided the fatal blow. The only usable magical treasure left in his hands was the Hellfire Wind-Chasing Fan, yet resisting the ancient fiend alone was exceedingly difficult.
A hurricane whipped up crimson lotus karmic fire again and again. For a time, the Poison King could not approach, but the old fiend had cultivated for a century, and his profound power was far beyond what Lin Feng could withstand. After only a few exchanges, he pressed forward step by step, charging through the wind and fire until the two nearly fought at arm’s length.
“Amitabha! Little benefactor, do not panic. This humble monk has come to aid you!”
A Buddhist invocation rang out. Grandmaster Lingchi, presiding elder of the Prajna Hall at Floating Buddha Temple, came charging over on a white lotus, the Demon-Sealing Divine Sword in his hand. Three other grandmasters followed, shifting the battlefield and surrounding the Poison King.
Lin Feng drew a deep breath and withdrew from the fight. Looking around, he saw that the Sword Devil Tong Yu was locked in fierce combat with the people of the Hundred Flowers Sect. Ji Hongyun, however, was nowhere to be seen. He did not know whether she had been defeated and fled, or had already been reduced to ashes.
The Poison King’s demonic arts could be opposed only by Buddhist cultivation. He had mastered the Great and Lesser Poison Sutras as well as the Thousand Illusions Demonic Transformation. Ordinary cultivators could not approach him. The only wise course was to subdue him through the supreme Buddhist art of White Lotus Deliverance.
The four great monks surrounded the Poison King. The old fiend could not overcome them for the moment and had no choice but to fight, yet Lin Feng had escaped, leaving him seething with resentment.
Cang Bailang, Qian Cai, Feng Yiyuan, and Chen Yuxi were locked in a desperate battle with the Sword Devil Tong Yu. The Purple Chariot River Blood Formation sent rolling crimson waves crashing toward them. The stench was nauseating, and their blood qi churned violently. For a time, none of the four could fully control their magical treasures, and they were steadily forced onto the defensive.
“At this rate, we are certain to lose. Junior brothers, form the Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation! Junior Sister Chen, hurry and replace Su Shenwu. Call the other junior brothers over as well!” Cang Bailang issued his orders decisively through spiritual transmission.
The Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation required eight people to form. It was a secret sword formation of the Hundred Flowers Sect, and all eight participants had to be men in order to employ it. Drawing upon the force of blazing yang, it struck enemies with the fury of heavenly thunder, its momentum unstoppable. It was precisely suited to contend with the Purple Chariot River Blood Formation.
Yuxi looked around. Of the Hundred Flowers Sect’s disciples, only six senior and junior brothers remained at the scene.
At Sky Pillar Peak, Zhou Kuigang and Su Shenwu, together with two sword-wielding Daoists, were locked in combat with a demonic figure who wielded a mourning staff and moved like a ghost.
At Dragon Auspicious Peak, Sun Yingming and Lian Huanzhong, along with Lu Yuntian of Gentlemen Peak, were surrounding a saber-wielding man, but they too were unable to break free.
The only others remaining were Lin Feng and the two senior sisters under Master Furong Peak, Pan Yingruo and Liu Rushi.
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Though the righteous cultivators vastly outnumbered their enemies, they were no match for the veteran fiends of the Myriad Demons Heaven. Dozens of wounded and poisoned allies still remained on Chessboard Peak. In her desperation, Yuxi could only seek aid there, hoping to replace several of her fellow senior brothers so they could join together and use the sword formation against the Sword Devil.
“Amitabha. What brings you here, female benefactor?”
The four experts guarding the area were led by Grandmaster Linghui of Floating Buddha Temple. The other three were female cultivators from the Cold Balance Palace, who had not entered the battlefield, perhaps because everyone had been concerned for their safety.
“Grandmaster, could you replace several of my senior brothers so that we may form our sect’s sword formation and slay the Sword Devil? We are still short five people, and the situation is urgent.”
Yuxi had no time for formalities and hurriedly explained the situation.
“Little sister, do not worry. We shall replace them at once.”
The three women of Cold Balance Palace had long been eager to join the battle. They had watched their martial uncle fight the demon and had been aching for a chance to enter the fray.
Grandmaster Linghui rapidly surveyed the situation on all sides. After proclaiming a lofty Buddhist invocation, he said, “This old monk shall naturally slay demons and expel evil. Female benefactor, I shall trouble you to remain here and guard the other fellow cultivators.”
Yuxi was about to refuse, but then realized that someone was indeed needed to guard this place. She could only stay behind, pointing out the positions of the five men to them.
Grandmaster Linghui inspired awe without anger. He charged into the formation and replaced Zhou Kuigang and Su Shenwu, while the three women of Cold Balance Palace replaced Sun Yingming, Lian Huanzhong, and Lu Yuntian.
The five immediately surrounded the Sword Devil. The Hundred Flowers Sect’s momentum soared. After exchanging glances, Cang Bailang swiftly transmitted his command:
“Junior brothers, form the Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation!”
Seeing himself surrounded by eight opponents, Sword Devil Tong Yu was not angered but amused. He concealed himself within the Purple Chariot River Blood Formation and unleashed his sword qi with all his might. The sea of blood stretched without end, its sword radiance razor-sharp, blasting in every direction as though it had no fixed shape or shadow and had multiplied into thousands upon thousands of forms.
Cang Bailang and the others shifted their positions and exchanged shadows, taking up the eight directions: Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth. Each offered his magical treasure into the air above the center of the formation. They were just about to complete the sword formation when an unexpected change occurred.
Zhou Kuigang had already been gravely wounded during his battle with Ni Cangqiong, the Soul-Transference Cave Master of the Myriad Demons Heaven. Blood still poured from his abdomen. Now, drawn in by the Purple Chariot River Blood Formation, his injuries worsened, and he had no choice but to withdraw.
Only seven people remained. The senior and junior disciples felt as though fire were burning their brows, their hearts itching like cats’ claws.
“Junior Brother Lin, enter the formation at once!”
With no time to find anyone else, Cang Bailang had no choice but to summon Lin Feng, who had been circling the battlefield.
Lin Feng had never studied the Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation in depth, and he was also missing the Mo Yan Sword. How could he operate the formation with only a fan? Yet the elder senior brother’s tone brooked no argument, so Lin Feng could only grit his teeth and flee into the position of Fire.
The moment he set foot in the battlefield, blood qi surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, making his face seem ready to drip blood. He hurriedly steadied his mind. His Golden Core and Flameheart shone with dazzling radiance, finally stabilizing the blood coursing chaotically through his body.
“Another familiar face. Excellent. We have not met for over a year, yet this junior dares to oppose me. You have improved!”
The Sword Devil sneered. The blood waves swelled by another three parts, while the sword qi hidden within spilled in every direction, vicious beyond measure.
Everyone hurriedly summoned their magical treasures to protect themselves. Cang Bailang urgently transmitted to Lin Feng, “The Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation kills through sword qi. The eight members attack in rotation. Watch the movements of the other senior brothers carefully. If you cannot gather sword qi, simply connect the previous attack to the next. Remember, do not act rashly and get yourself wounded, or the sword formation will collapse!”
Lin Feng naturally nodded in agreement.
Cang Bailang continued, “Prepare to form the formation!”
This command was meant for all his fellow disciples. The eight once again gathered their magical treasures high above the center of the blood sea. The Golden Blade of Chilian, the Five-Colored Coin Seal, the Army-Settling Divine Axe, the Purple Sun Sword, the Radiant Rainbow Sword, the Three-Autumn Sword, the Nocked Arrow, and the Hellfire Wind-Chasing Fan linked together in a ring.
Under the support of everyone’s power, the eight treasures spun with astonishing speed like figures in a revolving lantern. Eight-colored radiance shot forth, scattering part of the blood mist. For a moment, the brilliance of the treasures was no less than the light of the Void Treasury Bodhisattva manifested by the Divine Monk Zhiyuan on the other side.
They spun faster and faster. Everyone outside the formation could no longer distinguish the eight treasures individually. The sword formation had begun to take shape.
The eight senior and junior disciples each stood upon one of the eight trigrams, moving in alternating cycles around the blood-sea formation, which stretched ten yards across. Figures flashed back and forth, but their true forms could not be seen.
“Manifest the Celestial Mechanism Seal! Eightfold Pagoda of Liberation! Hundredfold Reincarnation Slash—begin!”
Cang Bailang gave a furious roar. Golden armor blazed with ten thousand rays of light as he floated upward, two fingers extended like a sword, his bearing that of a heavenly deity.
A beam of golden light shot into the center of the eight treasures. At the same time, Qian Cai rose into the air and released his innate seven-colored auspicious aura, taking the position of Thunder where his senior brother had stood. Then Su Shenwu sent forth a stream of scarlet primordial qi.
The figures of the others passed into one another in succession, and sword essence of every color flowed into the seven-colored radiance formed by the eight treasures.
After Sun Yingming came Lin Feng. The seven senior brothers ahead of him had already provided a perfect example. He flicked a finger, sending out a strand of red sword essence. The others rotated through their positions once more. Eight cycles passed in no more than a few breaths.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Sword Devil Tong Yu was in no hurry. With his pride, what did it matter to contend with eight people at once? In the past, it had taken the three great masters of Floating Buddha Temple to force him into a desperate situation. Now, Divine Monk Zhiyuan’s cultivation had reached the realm of perfection, and he was able to contend evenly with Fengchen, the peerless Demon Lord of the Myriad Demons Heaven.
Though the Sword Devil knew he was no match for Zhiyuan, he could not lose face before the younger generation. He merely waited to test the might of the sword formation, intending to wipe them all out in a single strike.
The sword intent and profound meaning of the eight men merged into one. Their eight magical treasures fused into a single entity. The sword formation shone with incomparable splendor, like the setting sun illuminating the clouds. Crystalline radiance filled the heavens, shimmering and flowing in an ethereal haze, pristine as though born before the dawn of creation.
“Heavenly Sword Slays Demons!”
Cang Bailang gave a thunderous roar and leapt above the eight treasures.
Crack!
With a deafening boom, the Golden Blade of Chilian suddenly appeared within the Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation. It stretched dozens of yards long, thunder and divine fire intertwined around it, and golden battle-light burst forth as it plunged straight into the blood-pool formation.
At the same time, a gigantic character formed of sword qi appeared across the two overlapping formations: Thunder.
The seven-colored Coin Seal descended next, like a rainbow falling from the ninth heaven. The blood pool trembled violently, its waves churning. At the same time, the sword-qi character Wind appeared.
A gigantic crimson-gold axe burst into the air, brimming with murderous force and capable of annihilating all things. This was Su Shenwu’s Army-Settling Divine Axe. One blow split the blood-pool formation in two. It shuddered three times before closing again.
Clang!
The Purple Sun Sword, trailing a dazzling arc of light, struck the heart of the formation once more. The entire Purple Chariot River Blood Formation boiled. Crimson and purple sword qi pierced through one another inside it, and the blood formation’s momentum weakened considerably.
The sword-qi character Earth appeared. The Radiant Rainbow Sword drifted forth like a ribbon, while sword qi of every color plunged into the blood pool. Brilliant lights blossomed like falling rain, beautiful beyond description.
Under the assault, the Sword Devil’s great formation shrank by nearly half.
“A day apart feels like three autumns. Three autumns have not yet passed, so we shall see what power it possesses.”
These words referred to the Three-Autumn Sword wielded by Lian Huanzhong of Dragon Auspicious Peak. It was of the same rank as the Startled Luan Sword and the Purple Sun Sword, but Lian Huanzhong’s cultivation had not yet reached a sufficient level, preventing him from displaying its full might.
Now, as the enormous sword appeared, visions of thunder, fire, lightning, and frost manifested in succession, shaking the hearts of all who saw them. The blood-pool formation could withstand no more. It finally collapsed.
The Sword Devil’s true body stood proudly beneath the ruined formation, the Blood-Drinking Sword spinning rapidly in his hand as he looked coldly upon the assembled heroes.
“When the Nocked Arrow is fired, who dares contend with it?”
As the golden character Lake appeared, ten thousand rays of golden light shot forth. The shadow of the Nocked Arrow resembled a divine pillar piercing the heavens as it flew toward Tong Yu’s head.
“Blood Radiance Demon Echoes!”
With a single sweep of his sword, the Sword Devil conjured a vast sea of blood and sent it surging toward the arrow formation. Within the blood-red radiance were endless shrieks, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, shaking the soul.
Boom!
The two forces collided. The Eight Sections of the Heavenly Sword Formation nearly collapsed. Everyone struggled to stabilize their magical treasures and finally managed to hold it together, but the effort was already futile. Hope had vanished.
The Sword Devil’s clothes had been completely destroyed, leaving him standing naked. A red radiance blazed from the center of his brow, and a strange smile touched the corners of his mouth.
The character Fire took shape.
Lin Feng was already hovering above the sea of clouds. The spiritual power within him and the force of his Flameheart poured into the eight-treasure formation below like a great whale sucking in water, impossible to resist.
The Hellfire Wind-Chasing Fan appeared at last. It resembled a plantain leaf and was as large as a cloud, one side shining with golden light and the other glowing crimson.
“The final move, is it? Then this shall be the moment you juniors meet your deaths!”
The Sword Devil smiled. His silver hair had completely turned scarlet. Suddenly, he let out a piercing howl:
“Scattering Light, Dust Without Trace, Blood Desire! Illusion!”
His body abruptly developed countless cracks, splintering like a mirror. Piece by piece, it shattered, and the Blood-Drinking Sword broke apart into fragments that floated in the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, blood-red radiance burst forth, carrying the fragments in all directions like a surging tide.
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!
Ten thousand streams of vital essence tore through the air from within the blood light, striking directly at the seven people surrounding him.
At that very moment, hurricanes, hellfire, and sword qi descended from above. A colossal wave seemed ready to extinguish the blood light. Between heaven and earth, time itself appeared to freeze.
Rumble!
Atop Chessboard Peak, above the sea of clouds, a tremendous roar erupted. Amid the blaze of fire and gold, the blood qi flickered several times before finally vanishing into nothingness.
During the violent explosion, several figures were hurled from the surrounding area. Five-colored radiance flashed, and the eight magical treasures fled into the distance. Within the faint glow, two figures gradually emerged.
Page 3 of 3