Chapter 343 - 341: The Strength of a Tier 4 Great Demon

Chapter 343: Chapter 341: The Strength of a Tier 4 Great Demon

Regardless, the Cyan Simurgh was a Tier Four Demon Beast. No precaution was too great.

There was no need to mobilize a grand army of cultivators against a Great Demon of this level. Any more than necessary would just be adding dishes to its meal.

The Qingfeng Sect’s proficiency with Battle Arrays had only reached Foundation Establishment Level One. At their peak, they could only combine a hundred Qi Refining Cultivators to unleash an attack equivalent to the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Level.

Advancing it further couldn’t be achieved by simply piling on more people or layering Battle Arrays.

This involved the extremely profound Array Dao, and it was not something that one or two High-Tier Array Masters could change on their own.

Only through generations of Array Masters debugging, refining, and improving the Array Maps and Array Plates could a Battle Array unleash power that surpassed its tier.

Take the Holy Lotus Sect’s most famous Ten Thousand Lotus Array, for example. It was said to be formed from ten thousand Qi Refining Cultivators, with hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators acting as nodes within it, allowing the Battle Array to exert power approaching the Core Formation Perfection level.

Its Array Maps and Array Plates had all been honed over a thousand years, making them equivalent to a powerful Magical Treasure in their own right.

In this regard, the Qingfeng Sect was decidedly weak.

In other words, the vast majority of Core Formation Level Sects lacked the energy and resources to conduct in-depth research on Battle Arrays.

Even if a sect was fortunate enough to produce an Array Master, their main focus would surely be on improving and upgrading the Sect Grand Array. Why would they waste effort on Battle Arrays, which had long development cycles and yielded slow returns?

After reaching Core Formation, Zhou Suqing advanced by leaps and bounds in the Array Dao. She was now in no way inferior to Ancestor Yangg back in his day.

She had recently been focusing her energy on Battle Arrays. She had already fixed their previous shortcomings—namely, their slow movement and the long time it took to switch targets—ensuring they wouldn’t become sitting ducks on the battlefield when facing agile enemies.

At the same time, she had refined several new sets of Array Banners, Array Maps, and Array Plates, and had selected Qi Refining Disciples to practice with them while she looked for inspiration for further improvements.

Master Ge Cang brought the twenty-odd grains of Earth God Sand remaining in the Purple Gourd and also carried the Ding Mao Ren Gao Divine General Talisman on his person.

This Divine Talisman could summon a phantom of an Upper Realm Divine General that possessed power equivalent to the Core Formation Perfection realm.

Although it had its shortcomings—lacking Spiritual Wisdom, being stiff and slow, and only able to follow commands—it was the most suitable choice for dealing with the Cyan Simurgh, as long as it could serve as a meat shield.

The two of them pored over numerous Ancient Texts, attempting to find any records of the Cyan Simurgh.

But whether in the Qingfeng Sect’s own collection or in the texts confiscated from the Ghost Spirit Sect and added to the Transmission Hall, the records on the Cyan Simurgh were scant and vague.

They estimated that within the Liang Country Cultivation Realm, only the Holy Lotus Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect would possess any valuable information about the Cyan Simurgh.

The Holy Lotus Sect was out of the question. As for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, they had once been a secret ally, but all contact had been severed after they fully threw their lot in with the Blood Demon Sect.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had even sealed its mountain and closed its gates. Aside from the sect’s grand army, led by Fang Tiancheng to assist the Blood Demon Sect, everyone else had completely severed ties with the outside world.

As for the Sect Secret Hall, there were truly few Treasures that caught the eyes of Bai Zichen and Master Ge Cang.

「A month later.」

Three streaks of light shot out from the Mountain Gate’s Cloud Platform, heading straight for the core region of Black Mountain.

Besides Bai Zichen and Master Ge Cang, they had also brought Zhou Suqing along, leaving only a single Core Formation Ancestor, Wei Dao, back at the Sect.

For the Qingfeng Sect, this demon-slaying operation was tantamount to mobilizing their entire force.

"Junior Sister Zhou, we’re dealing with a Tier Four Great Demon this time. We only need to borrow your strength for a single strike... Afterward, no matter what happens, you are not to join the battle. Just keep a safe distance."

Master Ge Cang said in a grave and earnest tone.

"Junior Brother Bai and I have ways to preserve our lives in front of the Cyan Simurgh, but you are different. Your first priority must be to protect yourself."

"I understand. I won’t get in your way, Senior Brothers."

Zhou Suqing was well aware of her own capabilities and nodded without hesitation.

In truth, forget a Core Formation True Man like Zhou Suqing, whose weakness was practical combat. Even if it were Wei Dao facing the Cyan Simurgh, he would most likely be crushed to death by a single swipe of its claw.

What Master Ge Cang feared most was that if the battle took an unexpected turn, Zhou Suqing might try to help with the best of intentions, only to make things worse.

If they had to divide their attention to protect someone else while fighting the Cyan Simurgh, they would have no chance of victory, even against an injured one.

The reason they brought Zhou Suqing instead of the slightly stronger Wei Dao was that, before a Tier Four Great Demon, both would meet a similar end. The only difference would be surviving for one breath more or one breath less.

Zhou Suqing, however, possessed the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner inherited from Ancestor Yangg. After years of effort, she had refined it into her own Lifebound Magical Treasure and was finally able to activate the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light within the Banner Flag.

The Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which harnessed bipolar magnetic force, possessed immeasurable power and was one of the most renowned Great Divine Techniques in the Cultivation Realm.

It had once made a brief but dazzling appearance in the Cultivation Realm. A Nascent Soul True Monarch who cultivated the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light had used it to roam the world unchallenged. With just his Early-Stage Nascent Soul cultivation, he was able to fight a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to a standstill for a short period of time.

However, ever since that Nascent Soul True Monarch passed away, it seems no cultivator has been able to truly master the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light.

This wasn’t for a lack of the Cultivation Method, but because no cultivator could withstand the immense, crushing weight that the bipolar magnetic force exerted upon their own body.

Moreover, as the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light grew stronger, that pressure would also intensify day by day until it utterly crushed the Cultivator.

It would reach a point where even taking a single step was an extravagant hope, and they would ultimately be assimilated by the bipolar magnetic force, transforming into a human-shaped magnetic statue.

Everyone could only speculate that the True Monarch must have possessed a special constitution that allowed him to resist the influence of the bipolar magnetic force.

The Primordial Magnetic Divine Light within the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner, for instance, could not be refined or strengthened. Whatever its power was when it was sealed into the Banner Flag was how it would remain for thousands of years.

To activate it, one had to rely on the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner to avoid being personally affected by the bipolar magnetic force.

The drawback was that the Divine Light moved at a snail’s pace. One could even wait until it was right in front of them before dodging without any issue. It was a far cry from the agile, versatile, and effortlessly controlled style of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light in the hands of that Nascent Soul True Monarch from ages past.

This was the current mainstream method for utilizing the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light in the Cultivation Realm—using an external object to bear the bipolar magnetic force.

Used this way, however, the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light’s power was limited, and its stiff, slow nature was a far cry from what one would expect of a top-tier Great Divine Technique.

They had brought Zhou Suqing along for the express purpose of having her activate the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light and land a devastating blow on the Cyan Simurgh.

In any case, the slumbering Cyan Simurgh had seemingly blocked out all perception of the outside world. It wouldn’t even wake up if the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light landed right on its head.

"We’re here."

A volcano with flames soaring into the sky appeared in their line of sight. Bai Zichen spoke in a low voice.

For him, the safest approach would have been to gather twelve Flying Swords, comprehend the Starry Sky Sword Intent, set up the Star River Sword Array, and only then confront the Cyan Simurgh.

However, that process could take several decades, perhaps even a century.

No one could say for sure if other powers would grant him such a long and stable period for his cultivation. A century from now, it was also possible that the Cyan Simurgh would have regrown its True Feather and recovered the true strength of a Tier Four Great Demon.

At the same time, squandering a century would cause Master Ge Cang to miss his optimal window for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

One must be as cautious as if treading on thin ice on the path of cultivation, but that didn’t mean one should never contend for anything.

He wasn’t like that Dragon Turtle, which, upon becoming a Tier Three Demon Beast, gained a lifespan of several thousand years and could afford to simply lie in Feiyue Lake and quietly watch the ages pass.

A Core Formation True Man had a lifespan of merely five hundred years. It seemed long, but it wasn’t. A single misstep, a period of wasted time, could cause one to stray far from the Longevity Path.

Bai Zichen and Master Ge Cang each took a position on opposite sides. They exchanged a look and began to focus their minds, gathering their power.

Zhou Suqing took out the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner. The small banner flag felt as though it weighed a ton as she slowly raised it to her chest.

She spat a mouthful of Essence Blood onto the banner’s surface. A jet-black, mystical light drifted out from the Banner Flag, inching forward.

Her face was covered in beads of sweat. She used every ounce of her strength to finally maneuver the black Divine Light above the Cyan Simurgh’s head.

With a soft cry, the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light fell abruptly, enveloping the Cyan Simurgh.

Zhou Suqing looked completely drained of energy. She staggered, recalled the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner, and then ignored everything else as she flew ten li backward.

When she looked back, the sky was already filled with boundless Thunderbolts, which had transformed into innumerable electric serpents weaving through the air.

Master Ge Cang stood in their midst like a Thunder God, two Thunder Dragons coiling around his hands, constantly growing larger and more powerful.

Pressed down by the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which Zhou Suqing had fueled by overdrawing her True Essence, the slumbering Cyan Simurgh’s entire Demon Body sank slightly into the ground. Specks of blood even began to ooze from its broken wings, staining a large patch of its feathers red.

The Cyan Simurgh flapped its wings, struggling to rise. It had just broken free of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light when the two Thunder Dragons viciously slammed into its body.

SZZZLA!

Arcs of Thunder Radiance scattered wildly. Two black scorch marks appeared on the Cyan Simurgh’s back, charring a layer of its feathers but failing to injure its flesh.

Seeing this, Master Ge Cang actually revealed a hint of delight.

Given the physical toughness of a Tier Four Great Demon, it would have been a good outcome if his two probing Thunder Dragons had managed to take off even a few feathers.

The fact that they had left such obvious marks was proof enough of the Cyan Simurgh’s weakness. It couldn’t even maintain its Immortal Body.

A Thunderstruck Wood Staff appeared in his hand. He pointed it toward the sky, and myriads of Thunderbolts converged, forming a vortex, a veritable Thunder Sea.

On the other side, Bai Zichen stood still in the air, his Moon Xuan Sword hanging high above, its Moonlight showering down upon the entire volcano.

He was completely bathed in the Moonlight, yet at this very moment, he closed his eyes, showing no sign of taking the opportunity to strike.

The fully awakened Cyan Simurgh finally threw off the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light on its back. A flash of crimson light erupted, sending the black Divine Light flying.

Zhou Suqing hurriedly gave chase, using the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner to recall the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light.

After that one exchange, it would require at least a 60-Year Cycle of re-refinement before the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light could be used again.

Fortunately, Zhou Suqing’s Lifebound Magical Treasure was the Primordial Magnetic Demon-Breaking Banner and not the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light itself, so she was lucky to escape any backlash.

"What ants dare to trespass on my Flame Mountain!"

The Cyan Simurgh shook its wings, and the flames for a hundred li in every direction, as if obeying a command, merged into a sea of fire that surged toward Master Ge Cang.

’So a Tier Four Great Demon really can speak. And this is what its voice sounds like...’

Zhou Suqing put away her Lifebound Magical Treasure, her face filled with shock.

The impact of personally witnessing a Demon Beast that could speak human words was still quite immense.

Perhaps because it hadn’t spoken in a very long time, the Cyan Simurgh’s accent was strange and awkward. Its clear voice carried a hint of ancient sorrow.

"The one who has come to take your life!"

Sensing traces of Glazed Purifying Fire within the sea of flames, Master Ge Cang dared not manifest the Jianmu Divine Tree. He merely surrounded himself with thousands of Thunderbolts.

Every bolt of lightning and arc of Thunder Radiance moved with extreme agility, as if under direct control, beating back the waves of the fiery sea and firmly protecting him.

Now that the Cyan Simurgh had truly made its move, it immediately suppressed Master Ge Cang, gaining the absolute upper hand.