"We can't let that wretch escape!"
Seeing the Purple-Blood Python attempting to flee, Elder Yang shouted, rallying everyone to give chase.
Xu Qianyang gritted his teeth, determined not to let such a golden opportunity slip away. A peak Purple Mansion stage beast was immensely powerful—normally, even two or three mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivators would struggle to handle it.
After making up his mind, Xu Qianyang retrieved a treasure talisman from his storage pouch. Activating it, the talisman transformed into a blue-and-white Sword Qi, slicing across the void with a sharp clang.
This was the Celestial Sword Talisman, containing the divine ability Celestial Sky Sword, the signature technique of the Celestial Sky Sword Sect of Chu Kingdom.
This divine ability was renowned for its unparalleled power and was the strongest offensive technique in Chu. Legend had it that the current sect leader of the Celestial Sky Sword Sect once used this ability to kill a Golden Core stage demonic cultivator during the demonic tribulations caused by the Old Demon Bone 150 years ago.
Alongside the previous head of Qingyang Sect and their treasure, the Radiant Heaven Mirror, the sect leader had defeated the demon.
Though the Celestial Sky Sword Talisman was only a high-tier third-level treasure talisman, its displayed power far surpassed ordinary third-tier techniques.
The Purple-Blood Python, already suppressed by the combined treasures and abilities of the group, could not defend itself against this strike. In a life-or-death moment, it spat out its monster core in a desperate attempt to shield itself.
With a deafening sword hum, the Celestial Sky Sword crossed a thousand feet of void in an instant, slamming into the monster core.
The python let out a sharp screech as the monster core barely withstood the attack, but it sustained a deep crack. For a demonic beast, damage to its monster core was catastrophic. Without a miraculous opportunity, it could never hope to break through to the Demon King stage.
Yet, it managed to preserve its life. Swallowing its monster core back into its body, the python immediately fled into the distance.
Before the group could pursue, a massive serpent tail swept down from the sky, raising a fierce gale that blocked their path.
The Sky Python Demon King had intervened. Its cold, piercing gaze swept over the group. Realizing the Purple-Blood Python had been defeated and that further fighting would lead to its own entrapment, the demon king also began to retreat.
"We can't let it escape!" Elder Yang, enraged by the loss of the clan's treasured weapon, could not stay calm. Ignoring the demon king's imposing presence, he activated the Thunderfire Sword and chased after the fleeing python.
"Disaster," Elian thought, his heart sinking. He tried to intervene but was too late.
The Sky Python Demon King's eyes flashed with a cold light, and twin beams of crimson light erupted from its pupils—its famed demonic ability, Crimson Eye Demon Sight.
At the sight of the crimson light, Elder Yang snapped out of his impulsiveness, realizing his reckless mistake. He hastily activated the Fire Element Divine Thunder and the Thunderfire Sword to defend himself while deploying the Purple Gold Heavenly Net Shield.
The crimson light swept across the battlefield, shattering the Fire Element Divine Thunder and cracking the Thunderfire Sword. It struck the Purple Gold Heavenly Net Shield, which lasted barely half a breath before disintegrating. A fraction of the crimson light pierced through, leaving a ghastly wound that tore through Elder Yang's chest and lungs.
"Ahhh!" Elder Yang screamed as he plummeted from the sky.
The Sky Python Demon King moved to deliver the final blow, but Jiang Linglong quickly unleashed two life-bound treasures, dimming the demon's defensive treasures and depleting its protective aura by 70 to 80 percent.
With Elian and the others rushing to Elder Yang's side, the demon king realized it would gain nothing further from the fight. Shielding the Purple-Blood Python, it retreated from Tianxu Mountain.
"The Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe…" muttered Elder Yang, barely conscious as Elian caught him. Despite his life-threatening injuries, Elder Yang's thoughts lingered on the lost clan treasure.
Yang Yuanhe rushed over, trembling as he fed Elder Yang healing pills. His distress made him almost lose composure.
"Granduncle, you can't leave us! What will happen to the Yang Clan if you're gone?"
Elian exchanged a glance with the Patriarch, both feeling a heavy sense of despair. Not far away, Jiang Linglong landed beside them. She examined Elder Yang and released a ray of light into his mouth.
"His injuries are severe, with his lungs gravely damaged," she said.
"This Azure Cloud Creation Pill will stabilize his condition and save his life. However, he'll need thirty years of recovery to heal fully, and even then, his combat strength will be reduced by fifty to sixty percent. His lifespan may also be significantly shortened."
Yang Yuanhe stood frozen, overwhelmed by the dual blows of the clan's treasure loss and Elder Yang's near-death state. It was the first major setback for someone accustomed to smooth sailing, and it left him reeling.
Without much discussion, the group mounted their flying swords and returned to Tianxu Mountain.
With the retreat of the Sky Python Demon King, the demon army began to collapse. Jiang Linglong wasted no time leading a counterattack, chasing down the remnants. The pursuit lasted over a month until the demon army was forced back into the wilderness, ending the conflict.
With the retreat of the demons from Sky Python Lake, the beast tide threatening the border and Tianxu Mountain had finally subsided.
Following the war, everyone focused on tallying the results. However, just half a month later, shocking news arrived.
Jiang Linglong summoned everyone, her expression unusually grim. "We've just received word from Jiang Region," she began.
"Jiaoyang Mountain has fallen."
"What!" The crowd was aghast, and Yang Yuanhe shot to his feet.
Jiang Linglong nodded, her expression steady but serious.
"The strength of Dire Lion Ridge has grown far beyond what it was a century ago. The Dire Lion Demon King has advanced to the mid-Golden Core stage, and its subordinate, the Azure-Maned Lion, has also broken through to the Golden Core stage."
"The two demon kings led an army of hundreds of thousands to besiege Jiaoyang Mountain. Leader Xu of Qingyang Sect was forced to hold out for six months before abandoning the mountain. He was pursued for thirty thousand miles by the two lion kings."
"In the end, Leader Xu sustained severe injuries and barely escaped to Qingyang Mountain with the help of the sect's treasure, the Radiant Heaven Mirror."
Elian's face turned pale as he processed the news. The strength of Qingyang and Yang Region was formidable. Qingyang Sect alone boasted sixteen Purple Mansion cultivators, and the Purple Mansion families of the two regions added thirteen more. The fall of Jiaoyang Mountain was an unthinkable blow.
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D