The mist hung thick over the Great Marsh.
Wind brushed past the ship's gunwale, and waves lapped against the reefs.
Above the sky.
Uncle Xun's face was flushed with anger.
Though he knew the waters of Yunmeng Township were deep and that demons had always been overbearing.
He ultimately hadn't expected that even a demon general under Immortal Lord Guanlan would be so tyrannical as to leave no room for compromise.
They were clearly preying on them!
"Do you two intend to drive us to a dead end?"
Uncle Xun's eyes bulged with rage as he took a step forward. "My Xu Family might not be a prominent power, but if today's matter is spread, which Fellow Daoist will dare to deal with the Immortal Lord in the future?"
He was, after all, a Cultivator of Chess-Player Four-Piece.
How could he be humiliated to such an extent by two Chess-Player Two-Piece demons?
If he truly handed over all their assets, they would have no grand gifts left to present and would fail to cling to the great tree that was the Immortal Lord.
The Xu Family would surely suffer a massive blow to their Origin Qi and would eventually be slowly devoured by the surrounding predatory forces.
It was death either way.
It would be better to risk this old life and go out in a blaze of glory against them!
"Heh heh..."
Faced with Uncle Xun's threat, Green Toad did not retreat but instead advanced, letting out a sinister laugh.
He reached into his robe, pulled out a conch shell, and brazenly held it to his lips.
"Old Thing, feel free to try."
Green Toad's narrow eyes were full of mockery. "This is a Water-Sound Conch. As long as this general gives it a light blow, how long do you think it will take for the brothers patrolling the lake to arrive?"
"The time it takes for a stick of incense to burn? Or half a stick?"
"..."
Uncle Xun's whole body trembled, and his arms slumped powerlessly.
The Xu Family had calculated everything, yet they had overlooked these minor lackeys...
The current situation couldn't be clearer.
Even if this Girl in Black Robes of unknown origin hadn't appeared on the boat today, with the insatiable greed of these two demons, would they really have let the Xu Family go?
It was just an excuse for robbery and murder.
Before the overwhelming demonic aura of Yunmeng Township, how many Human Cultivators were often as insignificant as weeds, silently perishing within the wild Great Marsh?
Just as Uncle Xun was disheartened and filled with despair.
In a corner of the deck.
That Figure in Black, who had been sitting cross-legged quietly, slowly stood up.
She casually stretched her arms, her slightly languid voice abruptly ringing out on the tension-filled flying boat.
"Do you need help?"
"Give me a word; I'm in a bit of a hurry."
She had wanted to continue observing... but looking at it now.
It seemed no different from before.
They all shared the same nature.
"..."
Upon hearing this.
Everyone stood dazed on the spot, staring blankly at the Girl in Black Robes.
This girl... what on earth did she mean?
Could it be she really doesn't understand human speech?
They had made it so clear; once the Water-Sound Conch sounds, the surrounding demon generals will arrive in an instant.
With what could she help?
How could she help?
Just with your Chess-Player One or Two-Piece cultivation?
But looking at that elegant profile, Xu Linmiao found himself blurting out as if possessed, "I hope Fellow Daoist Jiang will lend her aid..."
Upon hearing this, Green Toad whipped his head around.
He glared at Jiang Yuechu with irritation.
His face was hideous. "You slip of a girl, you spoke arrogantly just now, and because I was in a good mood, I already let you off."
"Now, you still dare to talk big here!"
He had intended to use a few threats to force the old man to obediently hand over the Storage Pouch.
That way, besides the portion to be handed up, the rest would be swallowed by him and his brother.
If it wasn't necessary, he really didn't want to blow the Water-Sound Conch and call other demon generals to take a share of the spoils.
But in the current situation.
It seemed he could only endure the loss and find more people to share with.
He gave a cold snort.
Taking a deep breath, he was just about to blow the conch.
The girl finally finished stretching her arms.
The moment her arms naturally dropped.
Her figure vanished from the spot without warning, instantly closing in right before Green Toad.
Expressionless, she indifferently opened her fingers and grabbed the conch.
Surging black Qi whistled out from within her, and the radiance of five-colored heart material flowed wildly across her fair skin.
The Water-Sound Conch was originally an extraordinary Spiritual Artifact, incredibly hard.
Under her suffocatingly immense strength.
It shattered with a bang.
"How dare you..."
Green Toad's eyes went wide, but he didn't even have time to let out a cry of alarm.
Boom—!
In the next instant.
A sharp leg shadow split down from above.
Jiang Yuechu raised her leg and stomped down hard, forcefully pinning that sarcoid-covered head firmly onto the deck.
This scene.
Clearly exceeded everyone's reaction time.
No matter what, no one would have thought Jiang Yuechu would suddenly strike.
But Uncle Xun was experienced after all.
Within a few breaths after Jiang Yuechu acted, he had already reacted.
The old man slapped his waist, manifesting an ancient tortoise shell Spiritual Artifact that flew straight back, firmly shielding Xu Linmiao within it.
Then he quickly formed hand seals.
Above the horizon, a purple glow suddenly surged.
A central palace hall constructed entirely of Purple Cloud Crystal emerged.
The hall was extremely luxurious and carried a solemn atmosphere.
Atop the central palace sat an old man whose appearance was identical to Uncle Xun, wearing a purple cloud-patterned robe and a high crown.
To his left and right, four massive bluestone statues appeared.
Billowing purple mist poured down, spreading across thirty miles of water.
The other demon was not slow to react either.
The moment Uncle Xun manifested his central palace.
The water surface exploded, and Red Toad also manifested his Demon Palace.
Above the palace stood a phantom of a toad wearing a ceremonial cape.
The phantom stepped on two faint blue water rings and held a steel fork upside down, truly looking like a celestial of a water manor.
Faint blue water mist poured down from the Demon Palace.
It forcibly pushed aside Uncle Xun's purple mist, occupying a territory of twenty miles.
Red Toad was only Chess-Player Two-Piece.
Yet when his Demon Palace foundation unfolded, it was only ten miles short compared to Uncle Xun, who was Chess-Player Four-Piece.
One really couldn't tell if this toad's talent was good or if Uncle Xun's talent was too poor...
Red Toad didn't pay attention to Uncle Xun in mid-air.
Although the opponent was Chess-Player Four-Piece, he couldn't do much to him in a short time.
Kill the girl in front of him first!
Then it would be two against one; as long as they held out for a stick of incense, demon generals from elsewhere would surely sense the commotion and rush over.
Thinking of this.
Blue mist surged in his eyes.
His body transformed into the exact same appearance as the phantom atop the Demon Palace.
He used the water to propel himself, his massive body soaring into the sky.
The steel fork in his hand whistled as it swung out!
"Die for me!!!"
In an instant.
The two stone statues below the Demon Palace suddenly glowed and transformed into two massive water beasts, roaring as they lunged down at the girl.
Billowing waves rose in tandem.
The marsh waters surged backward with earth-shaking momentum.
Under such a terrifying offensive.
Jiang Yuechu indifferently lifted her leg, no longer paying attention to Green Toad beneath her feet.
Billowing black mist diffused from her eyes.
A ghastly, hellish palace instantly covered the entire sky.
Giant pillars forged of black mist propped up the firmament, and dark red blood-light served as continuous roof tiles.
The blood-red baleful aura was overwhelming.
It actually spanned a hundred miles!
The moment this hellish palace appeared, it immediately made Uncle Xun's Purple-Gold Hall and Red Toad's water-tribe Demon Palace look dull and insignificant.
And at this moment.
Jiang Yuechu's form had already undergone a change.
She was dressed in black robes with red patterns, her wide sleeves billowing in the fierce wind.
Vast dark-black wings that blotted out the sky burst out from her back.
The black wings unfolded, obscuring the light of day.
Jiang Yuechu's feet left the ground as she indifferently ascended into the air.
Her eyes, filled with black mist, looked down from on high, gazing at the horrified Red Toad below.
The supreme intent of the Great Black Heaven, bolstered by the central palace, was filled with a despairing Death Qi and slaughter.
Then.
The girl's thin lips parted slightly, her voice calm.
"Raise your heads..."
"And gaze upon your heaven!"