Chapter 694

“Fairy Lu (Xiao Yan)!”

When they saw Xiao Yan summon her flying sword, slashing toward the few terrifying fiendish figures above, the Three Holy Lords and Han Lingshuang were all greatly alarmed.

Those demons in the sky radiated an aura of dreadful power. Each of them was at least in the late-stage Golden Core Realm.

Though Xiao Yan was formidable, she was only at the sixth transformation of the Golden Core Realm. How could she possibly fight four demons at once?

Fortunately, she merely unleashed her flying sword and did not follow it upward in person. That gave the Three Holy Lords and Han Lingshuang some measure of relief.

But even so, they all understood this battle was now unavoidable.

The three Holy Lords exchanged a glance and began communing with the Sacred Mountain beneath their feet, preparing themselves with utmost vigilance.

Over the years, their cultivation had grown considerably, yet even the strongest, the First Holy Lord, was no more than at the fourth transformation of the Golden Core Realm.

To face the four demons above head-on was utterly impossible.

Their only chance was to draw upon the Sacred Mountain’s power, uniting their strength through formation. Only then might they stand a chance at battle.

Xiao Yan’s flying sword was razor sharp, carrying with it an aura that froze all life in its path.

The instant it flew forth, the four demons in the sky shuddered inwardly.

Even as mighty as they were, they felt a chill seep into their hearts.

None of them dared to take the blow head-on. They all swerved aside.

But Xiao Yan, having struck, would never let her blade end so easily.

Her sword seals changed, and the sword light split into four, each one chasing after a demon.

She intended to cut down all four with her own strength alone.

This arrogance enraged them.

The eagle demon let out a strange cry: “Little girl, do you not know the immensity of heaven and earth? You’re but at mid-stage Golden Core, and yet you dare be so presumptuous!”

Even as his words fell, his talon spread wide. A wave of demonic qi surged forth, condensing into a massive black eagle claw that snatched toward the sword light coming for him.

The claw’s oppressive might was suffocating. The Three Holy Lords and Han Lingshuang felt its crushing pressure descend from above, almost halting their breath.

Yet Xiao Yan’s sword light was even subtler.

Just as the claw was about to seize it, the blade arced in a mysterious trajectory, like lightning refracting in midair. A thunderclap roared as the sword light accelerated in an instant.

In a flash, it appeared before the eagle demon, slashing for his head.

At the same time, the other three sword lights shifted as well, evading the demons’ blocks, bursting with crackling thunder as they struck at their true bodies.

“Dividing her mind… Sword Qi Thunder Roar!”

The four demons’ hearts jolted. They had not imagined Xiao Yan’s sword dao had reached such a realm.

Even while attacking all four of them at once, she could still perform such flawless changes.

They, once mighty Nascent Soul cultivators, were caught off guard. All they could do was watch as the sword light fell upon them.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four deafening blasts resounded. The sword light struck each demon head-on.

Demonic qi scattered in all directions.

All four were struck and hurled backward.

“She hit them?”

The Three Holy Lords, Han Lingshuang, and countless disciples of the Sacred Mountain watching from below all widened their eyes. Their spirits surged with excitement.

No one had expected Fairy Lu to fight four at once and actually wound their true bodies.

All gazes locked onto the four demons. They burned to know what fate awaited them after receiving such a strike.

“Hahaha! Good, very good!”

The eagle demon spun midair, then landed back upon the Sacred Mountain, laughing loudly.

“No wonder Xiefeng valued you so much, little girl. You’re fierce indeed. With just mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, you managed to wound me. Even in our era, you would be hailed as a peerless sword dao prodigy!”

The black qi on his body dissipated. His robe was torn open with a gash, and a sword wound deep enough to reveal bone scored across his chest.

Yet he seemed unconcerned, eyes burning as he stared at Xiao Yan, like a hunter spotting rare prey.

And before their eyes, the wound began to knit together rapidly.

The other three demons also returned, each bearing injuries of varying severity. Yet just like the eagle demon, their wounds closed quickly, their auras scarcely diminished.

Xiao Yan’s sword had wounded them—but not their roots.

Her eyes narrowed at once.

Those on the Sacred Mountain felt their hearts sink.

“They took Fairy Lu’s strike head-on, and they’re merely flesh-wounded?”

The First Holy Lord instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.

Xiao Yan was their strongest. If even she could only wound them superficially, then didn’t that mean defeat was inevitable?

At once, he made a decision.

His divine soul shook, his voice echoing within the mind of every Sacred Mountain disciple: “All disciples, return to your cave dwellings at once. Activate the formation. Join together to resist the enemy!”

The disciples were stunned for a heartbeat. Then, without hesitation, they all rushed back into their abodes.

Moments later, the caves sealed, and a luminous barrier of formation light shone before them.

“What is this?”

The disciples were dumbfounded. They had lived here for years, yet never once seen such a thing.

The First Holy Lord’s voice rang again: “Channel your spiritual and magical power into the formation. Maintain the array!”

As they obeyed, a vast wave of formation energy surged from the Sacred Mountain.

So mighty was it that even the four demons above changed color.

Xiao Yan turned in surprise as well. She had not known the Sacred Mountain held such a hidden trump card.

“Fairy Lu, do not be startled. This was a safeguard left to us by your brother. He told us—only in a moment of life and death may this formation be used.”

Meeting Xiao Yan’s astonished gaze, the First Holy Lord explained.

Her body trembled. “A formation my brother left behind?”

The First Holy Lord stepped forward, facing the four figures radiating power above. His voice rang out: “Demons, speak. Why have you come to the Sacred Mountain?”

“You are the so-called First Holy Lord?”

The eagle demon’s gaze fixed upon him, his aura surging higher.

The others also looked down.

Yet the First Holy Lord stood unafraid. Formation waves rolled from him, dissolving their oppressive might.

“That’s right. I am.”

To see a mere Golden Core fourth transformation withstand their pressure without flinching made the demons’ eyes flicker.

“Interesting. So this mountain soul puppet can actually draw upon formation strength, merging the mountain’s spirit with the disciples’ power.”

The eagle demon’s stare grew colder. “But do you really believe a single formation can hold us back?”

“Whether it can or not… why don’t you try?”

The First Holy Lord’s expression was calm and unyielding.

“Fine. Then I shall test your reliance!”

The eagle demon wasted no time. He raised his hand, and a black talon materialized once more, slamming down toward the First Holy Lord.

Xiao Yan prepared to strike, but he lifted his hand, stopping her.

“Fairy Lu, no need. Allow me to experience this demon’s sorcery myself.”

With that, he thrust his palm outward.

The mountain’s array flared. Endless power gathered, condensing into a massive hand of five-colored brilliance that clashed against the falling black claw.

“That’s Brother’s Ten Thousand Arts Palm!”

Xiao Yan’s eyes widened as she recognized it.

The colossal palm collided with the claw.

Boom!

The force exploded outward. The claw held for only a few breaths before shattering into clouds of demonic qi.

The palm surged on, sweeping toward the four demons in the sky.

“What?”

The demons paled. They had not expected the eagle demon’s prized technique to be broken by a mere Golden Core fourth transformation.

Seeing the palm’s unstoppable might, dread crept into their hearts.

They knew they could not withstand it head-on. If struck squarely, even their demonic bodies would suffer grievous harm.

They scattered quickly. Fortunately, the palm’s speed was not overwhelming. With swift footwork, they evaded.

The palm’s strength waned and it sank back into the Sacred Mountain, returning to the formation.

The First Holy Lord sighed, regret in his voice. “Alas, if Lu Qing himself had unleashed that strike, not one of them would have escaped.”

“Lord, this palm… Brother taught you?”

“Yes. Back then, I was fortunate to receive this Dao technique from Lu Qing. But my aptitude is dull. Even now, I can only draw upon it through the mountain’s array. My moves are clumsy. Otherwise, how could those demons have dodged?”

Xiao Yan nodded slightly.

She had already noticed—the palm had only been possible because of the array.

“Brother… so you left behind even such a hand…”

Gazing at the protective glow around them, Xiao Yan drifted into a trance, memories of her brother shielding her in childhood stirring once more.

“Fairy Lu, these four demons are formidable. Your cultivation years are still short. Do not let them goad you into reckless battle.

Wait until your strength grows further. Then you may face them again.

With Lu Qing’s formation here, they cannot take our mountain.”

Seizing the moment, the First Holy Lord urged her.

Xiao Yan looked at the glowing barrier. At last, she nodded. “Very well.”

Only then did he breathe easier.

He had revealed their last hidden card for this very reason—to restrain her.

Her power had soared these years, and countless demonic cultivators had fallen by her hand. But with that, her killing intent grew ever heavier, her heart ever more solitary.

Even Han Lingshuang could scarcely sway her anymore.

The eagle demon’s taunts had clearly been meant to lure her out.

Thus he had to activate the formation.

One reason was that the four demons were indeed terrifying, the greatest foes they had yet faced.

The other was that he knew—aside from Lu Qing himself, only that old doctor could reach her heart. But the doctor was far away, guarding Jiuli Village.

So only something tied to Lu Qing could stay her hand.

Thankfully, he was right. Hearing this was her brother’s formation, Xiao Yan calmed.

“Then all that remains… is to make these demons give up.”

The First Holy Lord’s gaze lifted skyward.

The eagle demon and his three companions frowned as they studied the Sacred Mountain, now wrapped in formation light.

“What do we do? I did not expect such a formation here. With it active, claiming this mountain will not be easy,” the eagle demon growled.

“Indeed. This array draws on the mountain’s spirit and unites countless disciples. The disciples are nothing. But the mountain’s spirit… that is troublesome.”

“Strange. How could three weak Holy Lords lay such a grand formation?”

“It must be his doing,” the handsome demon sighed.

“Him? That boy hailed as number one under heaven?” The eagle demon’s eyes narrowed. “He’d only been cultivating a short while. How could he have such mastery of arrays?”

“That one was clearly the Child of Destiny of this age. And what does that mean? Do I need to explain?”

The other three fell silent.

A Child of Destiny. Miracles incarnate.

Anything impossible, upon him, could become real.

“So… what now? The mountain’s spirit is vital to our return to the Nascent Soul Realm. Are we simply to leave?”

The eagle demon’s face twisted with unwillingness.

If you’re enjoying the tension building here, don’t forget to drop a rating on NovelUpdates—it helps this story reach more fellow readers!

Next Chapter >>>