Chapter 284: Heavenly Demon Art, Activate!

Chen Huaian and Li Qingran rushed toward the nearest cave.

At the same time, the formation quietly activated.

Twelve beams of spiritual light shot straight into the sky.

As a thunderous rumble echoed through the mountains, a massive golden formation disk unfolded in the night sky, painting even the dusk in shimmering gold.

“What kind of formation is this?!” Li Qingran looked up at the array above them, stunned.

“Twelve Earthly Branches Dragon-Locking Golden Chain Formation!”

To maintain his image as a knowledgeable master, Chen Huaian blurted it out without hesitation.

“Bind—!”

All twelve hidden sect elders roared in unison.

The spiritual energy within the formation flowed through their bodies, channeling into the golden chains and igniting arcs of lightning along the links.

The lake surface began to boil violently.

Lightning crackled and danced beneath the dark water.

Through the electrified web, one could faintly make out a long, thrashing black shadow.

“Rooaarrr—!”

A violent dragon’s roar erupted from beneath the water.

But it was strained and exhausted—filled with agony and despair.

In his Dantian, the Dragon Soul’s resonance grew even stronger. Its tightly shut eyes emitted a howling cry, as if echoing the beast’s pain.

Chen Huaian knew he was running out of time.

He and Li Qingran entered one of the caves.

Inside, over a hundred Ascenders sat cross-legged around a formation disk, channeling all their spiritual energy into it.

All of these cultivators were strong—none below Peak Qi Refining, and the most powerful were on par with Wang Shouyi, ranging from Late to Peak Foundation Establishment.

The higher their cultivation, the thicker the gray mist hovering above their heads.

But Chen Huaian didn’t have the time to study the mist right now.

“Disciple, go!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Li Qingran, sword in hand, spun forward like a startled swan, striking the formation disk with a single elegant slash.

A golden shield sprung up to protect the disk, but it was instantly shattered by Su Xian.

Her strike was blocked, but it startled the Ascenders around the disk, snapping them out of their meditative focus.

“Who dares to interrupt our formation?!”

“Get lost, or we’ll kill you too.” Chen Huaian followed just behind Li Qingran, rushing toward the formation disk. His eyes swept over the speaker like cold blades.

He had no personal vendetta with these Ascenders.

He was only here to seize the opportunity that belonged to him.

If he didn’t have to fight, he didn’t want to.

Li Qingran’s Golden Core cultivation was already exerting pressure over the area—if these Ascenders were smart, they’d retreat.

And for a moment, he did see fear and hesitation in their eyes.

They knew the spiritual revival meant abundant resources ahead.

As long as they survived long enough, they could become powerhouses.

So, of course, they valued their lives more than most.

However, that fear didn’t last even a second.

“Anyone who disrupts the formation—kill them!”

A chilling voice came from the back of the crowd.

A figure in a cyan robe could barely be seen.

Chen Huaian wanted to get a good look at which hidden sect this person belonged to, but his view was quickly blocked by the crowd of Ascenders surrounding him.

“Kill all who interfere!”

The fear and hesitation vanished.

The Ascenders’ eyes turned firm and fanatical—more intense than soldiers fresh out of rehab.

Chen Huaian felt a wave of dizziness.

Clearly, these Ascenders were being manipulated.

Which meant there was no other choice.

“Qingran! Smash the formation! This Venerable One will hold them off!”

“Yes, Master!” Li Qingran leapt into the air, dodging over the heads of the crowd, and stabbed down toward the formation disk.

Chen Huaian stayed close behind her, slashing away at the charging Ascenders to clear her path.

But there were simply too many of them, and the cave was tight and cramped.

Some swarmed him, while others tried to block Li Qingran from reaching the disk.

In a moment of desperation, Chen Huaian dropped the act and went all in—fully activating the Heavenly Demon Art.

He slowly lifted his head.

A strange red gleam flickered in the depths of his eyes.

His fingers twitched and contorted, and a ferocious power stirred to life within him.

“I’ll give you one more chance—step aside, or else—”

Boom—!

A deep vibration pulsed through his limbs and bone marrow.

Demonic energy surged from his body.

His muscles began to swell at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Thick veins bulged like snakes under his skin.

Crack! Crack! His bones shifted and reshaped, his height shooting up nearly a foot, bringing balance to his once-bulky frame.

The expanding physique tore through his upper clothes, revealing a body built like iron.

Black demonic markings spread from his heart across his chest, climbing up his neck and covering half his face—melding with his glowing crimson eyes.

“He’s… he’s a demon cultivator!”

“A Demon Cultivator! He’s actually a Demon Cultivator!”

Even with their minds affected, the Ascenders couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

Chen Huaian said nothing. He crouched low, like a hunting leopard.

Time seemed to freeze.

The next instant—

Boom!

Rock and dust exploded.

A three-foot-deep crater was left where he stood.

Chen Huaian’s massive body turned into a blur as he launched forward.

“Stop him!” someone yelled in panic.

A dozen weapons came flying from all directions, aiming straight for his vital points.

“Heavenly Demon Art, First Layer—Blood Cocoon!”

Chen Huaian sneered. His fists clenched.

The demonic energy around him thickened into a solid crimson armor of scales.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out like a storm. Sparks flew everywhere.

Blades and swords bounced off his skin like they’d hit blacksteel—none left a scratch.

“Still not backing off?!” Chen Huaian’s voice rumbled like thunder. “Then die!”

He hadn’t planned to kill them all.

But the situation—and his limited time—left him no choice.

With a powerful sweep of his right arm, he unleashed a burst of wind.

Bang!

Several nearby Ascenders were sent flying.

Their protective auras shattered, their chests caved in. Dead on the spot.

Expressionless, Chen Huaian took another step forward.

The ground beneath his feet cracked, spiderwebbing out across the cave floor.

The surrounding Ascenders reeled from the shockwave.

He spread his fingers and reached for the nearest Ascender.

That man barely managed to raise his sword in defense,

but the weapon shattered like tofu in Chen Huaian’s grip.

Crack!

His fingers closed around the Ascender’s head, and a rush of demonic energy from his palm devoured him.

The man didn’t even have time to scream before his body shriveled like a dried sponge—collapsing into a desiccated corpse.

Blood Cocoon could refine monsters and cursed spirits—

but that didn’t mean it only worked on monsters and cursed spirits.

After all, this was a variant of the original Heavenly Demon Art.

Its essence was to refine everything.

Just didn’t offer much besides scraps from righteous cultivator shards.

“He’s a monster! A demon!” someone screamed in terror.

“Everyone, attack! Take him down!”

The man in cyan robes behind the crowd was nearly losing it.

“No more chances,” Chen Huaian muttered as his fists clenched tight.

Boom—!

The air itself screeched from the pressure.

He stomped the ground with both feet, launching forward like a cannonball.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each punch landed with the crack of shattering bone.

Flesh slammed against flesh.

Blood sprayed.

Bodies were sent flying like rag dolls, falling back down one by one.

His punches sped up—

from three per second to ten… then to a hundred.

He bulldozed his way through the cave like a human wrecking ball.

Li Qingran stood atop the shattered formation disk, watching her master plow through the enemy like a passing hurricane—completely stunned.

He turned, reached out, and slammed his claw-like fingers into the chest of the last man in cyan.

Blood sprayed across the rock wall behind them like a fountain.

Blood ran down Chen Huaian’s arm.

He exhaled and casually tossed the corpse aside.

In less than a minute, no one in the cave was left standing.

The ground was littered with mangled corpses.

Shattered organs and severed limbs were scattered everywhere.

The thick stench of blood made even the light in the cave seem darker.

Chen Huaian shook the blood off his hand.

His eyes fell on the jade token at the waist of the cyan-robed Ascender—it bore the carving of a white jade palace.

If he remembered correctly, that was a Kunlun Immortal Palace ID badge.

“M-Master…”

Li Qingran looked at Chen Huaian’s body, a stunning display of violent aesthetics.

Her wide eyes were like copper bells, her lips shaped into a perfect ‘o’.

She instinctively covered her cheeks with both hands, even her speech was stuttering.

“Sorry, disciple… in the martial world, we don’t always get to choose.”

Chen Huaian knew the Heavenly Demon Art had scared her.

But he’d already taken that into account when he used it.

So, he raised a hand to his forehead, covering half his face,

and used a voice like it was stuck in a dozen tractors—low, bubbling, and full of hopeless gravity—to explain:

“Ahem. My cultivation was suppressed… I had no choice but to rely on a body-tempering technique to survive in this world, so…”

“T-That’s not what I meant…” Li Qingran covered her eyes with one hand,

but a gap formed between her fingers anyway.

Her other hand flailed about awkwardly, pointing vaguely at Chen Huaian.

Her voice trembled, a mix of shyness and curiosity.

“Master, y-your pants…”