Chapter 344 - 342: The Oriole Behind

Chapter 344: Chapter 342: The Oriole Behind

After several rounds of attacks, the Cyan Simurgh, seeing it still hadn’t taken down the ants in its eyes, screeched in fury.

The shrill cry carried for over a hundred li, shaking the entire Flame Mountain. The ground cracked open, and lava spewed forth.

One of its wings was clearly drooping, making it struggle to maintain its balance in the air.

"Since when did mere Tier Three insects dare to speak such arrogant words before me!"

The Cyan Simurgh recalled a thousand years ago, when another human Core Formation Perfection cultivator had left a deep impression on it.

It had originally planned to devour hundreds of cultivators in one go to replenish its Spiritual Power and accelerate the growth of its True Feather.

But unexpectedly, a detestable Tier Three insect had appeared, using some unknown Secret Technique to fight it on equal footing.

The human had fought with a death-defying recklessness, and in a moment of carelessness, the Simurgh had one of its wings broken before the cultivator managed to escape. ℯ

This incident had left the Cyan Simurgh with a deep-seated trauma regarding human cultivators from the outside world.

It had simply chosen the safest, most conservative method of recovery: hibernation.

But it had miscalculated the effect of losing its True Feather. A thousand years had passed, and the True Feather had yet to regrow, rendering its Nirvana Divine Power hibernation useless.

"Damn you! If not for my True Feather being schemed away, you lot would be nothing but ants I could incinerate with a single puff of Purifying Fire!"

The Cyan Simurgh’s hatred for human cultivators reached its peak. The Glazed Purifying Fire on its body flared up and poured into the sea of flames below.

The already raging sea of flames intensified, and the color of the fire at its center gradually changed from dark crimson to a translucent white flame.

The rock and ground at the heart of the fiery sea began to melt, with molten rock flowing in rivulets and wisps of poisonous smoke rising.

"Ren Gao Divine General, activate!"

Master Ge Cang threw out an earth-colored Talisman that erupted in brilliant light, causing the void to tremble.

A giant ten zhang tall coalesced from the light. It wore Golden Armor, a cloud-patterned helmet, and had a dark, jujube-red face that radiated immense majesty.

After appearing, at Master Ge Cang’s command, it transformed, sprouting an eight-armed Golden Body and charged directly out of the sea of flames.

The Glazed Purifying Fire, which all other cultivators desperately avoided, clung to the Ren Gao Divine General but had no effect whatsoever and was simply shaken off.

Conversely, the ordinary flames actually managed to scorch pits into the Ren Gao Divine General.

In essence, it was a phantom projection summoned by the Ding Mao Ren Gao Divine General Talisman, not a true living being. What could the Glazed Purifying Fire do to it?

If it were a Magical Treasure, the Glazed Purifying Fire could have traveled along the mental connection and burned the cultivator’s Divine Sense.

But the Ding Mao Ren Gao Divine General Talisman was rumored to be a phantom condensed from a sliver of power beseeched from an Upper Realm Divine General.

No matter how potent the Glazed Purifying Fire was, could it trace the power back to its source and burn the Divine General’s true body in the Upper Realm?

The Ren Gao Divine General waved its eight long, glittering golden arms—some forming fists, some palms, some performing hand seals—and attacked the Cyan Simurgh from eight different directions.

"Insignificant tricks!"

The Cyan Simurgh snorted in disdain, feeling deeply insulted. It swiped with its sharp talons.

A cold gleam flashed. Three of the Ren Gao Divine General’s arms were instantly severed, dissolving into motes of light that returned to the void. The remaining five golden arms slammed viciously into the Cyan Simurgh.

The mighty Tier Four Great Demon was smashed back to the ground. Its broken wing was struck again, sending bloody feathers flying everywhere.

It just went to show that the Fire Phoenix Mo Family’s bloodline-influenced, short-tempered, and uncontrollable emotions really did have a traceable origin.

It could have clearly dodged the attack, but just to sever a few of the Ren Gao Divine General’s arms, it took the rest of the damage head-on.

One golden thumb, in particular, pierced right through the Cyan Simurgh’s demon body, leaving a massive hole.

"Damn you! Damn you! You all deserve to die!"

The Cyan Simurgh screeched at the sky, and a ball of golden flame shot from its mouth, causing the ambient temperature to spike dramatically.

"You ants! Because of you, the time it will take for my True Feather to reform has been delayed by another hundred years! I must have your Divine Souls baked by the sun daily and roasted by fire nightly..."

A flash of moonlight, brighter than the sun, tore across the sky. In the blink of an eye, a beam of Sword Light had passed through its claws and traversed the entire battlefield.

CHII!

The Cyan Simurgh’s chest split open as a torrent of blood erupted. Its demon body swayed, and it nearly collapsed to the ground again.

Streaks of crimson light gathered at the wound, containing the sword injury and stopping it from spreading.

From a distance, the Cyan Simurgh looked as if it had been cut in two, the wound forming a smooth, circular gash.

He had been gathering power for a long time, his senses focused through the Moon Xuan Sword, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He had decisively activated the Origin Power of the Tier Four Flying Sword, achieved Body and Sword Unity, and unleashed his strongest attack.

’A pity. If it had been a cultivator of the same strength, they would be dead by now...’

Bai Zichen felt a tinge of regret. The Tier Four Great Demon’s powerful physique had allowed it to withstand the blow, and its tenacious life force meant the Cyan Simurgh hadn’t even completely lost its ability to fight.

However, seeing the Cyan Simurgh’s weakened state and the receding sea of flames on Master Ge Cang’s side, he knew the tide of battle had turned. The advantage was now theirs.

"Junior Brother Bai, what magnificent Swordsmanship! I fear even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would find it hard to block that edge and would have to retreat!"

Master Ge Cang, riding a vortex of thunderbolts, burst from the sea of flames and praised him sincerely.

"Brother Ge, you praise me too much, I’m unworthy... Let’s finish off this Cyan Simurgh first. A centipede dies but never falls down, to say nothing of a Tier Four Great Demon!"

Bai Zichen’s Heart Like a Bright Mirror; he knew a Nascent Soul True Monarch would never have been foolish enough to take that sword strike head-on.

Or rather, a Nascent Soul True Monarch wouldn’t have given him the chance to gather power for his Sword Storage in the first place; they would have dragged him into the fray long ago.

Even a wounded Nascent Soul True Monarch with greatly reduced strength wouldn’t suffer a decline in their combat awareness. Moreover, with their vast array of Magical Treasures and Secret Techniques, they could completely compensate for such weaknesses.

A Tier Four Cyan Simurgh that had lost its True Feather—that was a demon the two of them dared to try and slay.

But if it were a heavily injured Nascent Soul True Monarch, without the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, they would certainly flee as far as they could, never entertaining the thought of trying to slay a True Monarch.

Besides, half the credit for that sword strike belonged to Master Ge Cang.

If he hadn’t single-handedly held off the Cyan Simurgh’s assault, even forcing the Tier Four Great Demon to use its precious Original True Flame, Bai Zichen would never have been able to seize that fleeting opportunity.

The two of them, adhering to the principle of kicking a man while he’s down, unleashed a tidal wave of attacks. Glittering Sword Light and roaring Thunder Radiance submerged the Cyan Simurgh.

SWOOSH!

A flash of red light streaked past. The Ren Gao Divine General’s head and helmet were smashed to pulp, and the ten-zhang-tall giant began to disintegrate from head to toe.

Motes of starlight scattered in all directions, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The Cyan Simurgh had actually spat out its Demon Pill. Its graceful, noble bearing was gone, replaced by a blood-soaked, desperate frenzy.

The Demon Pill was like a cultivator’s Golden Core or Nascent Soul—a life-bound object. While immensely powerful, if it was damaged, the consequences were far more severe than a simple drop in strength.

No Demon Beast would easily use its Demon Pill unless it felt the threat of death.

After destroying the Ren Gao Divine General in a single blow, the Cyan Simurgh’s vertical pupils stared with venomous hatred. Its Demon Pill, wreathed in its Lifebound True Flame, hurtled toward them, causing ripples in space and creating the feeling that the heavens and earth were locked in place.

With a sharp cry, Master Ge Cang summoned his Purple Gourd. Specks of Divine Sand sprayed out, converging into a long dragon that blasted toward the Demon Pill.

Over twenty grains of Earth God Sand, not a single one held back, were unleashed in one go.

Layers of invisible force vibrated against each other, stirring the Power of the Earth Veins within Flame Mountain, and actually managed to make the Demon Pill waver.

Having been nurtured in this mountain’s Spirit Land for a thousand years, the Earth God Sand possessed an incredible might.

In terms of destructive power alone, a single grain of Divine Sand was comparable to a Top-Grade Magical Treasure. With over twenty grains exploding simultaneously, it was enough to easily suppress any being below Tier Four.

Even a Tier Four Great Demon was inevitably affected.

The Cyan Simurgh could no longer suppress its injuries and coughed up another great mouthful of blood, dyeing the soil beneath it red.

It spat out a spray of blood essence. Spurred on by this, its Demon Pill and Original True Flame, as if having consumed a Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pill, shot upward and broke through the encircling Earth God Sand.

At that exact moment, Bai Zichen and Ge Cang exchanged a look and retreated in perfect unison.

One executed Thunder Escape, the other Close as the Palm of Your Hand, Far as the Ends of the Earth, and in an instant, they were dozens of li away. Bai Zichen didn’t forget to bring Zhou Suqing with him.

The Cyan Simurgh shook its bird-like head. Thinking the two human cultivators were out of strength and trying to flee, it revealed a sneer. From the void above, a sky-propping iron pillar descended.

It tried to flap its wings and escape, only to find that the descending staff had sealed the surrounding space, preventing it from even taking refuge in the flames.

It hastily tried to recall its Demon Pill, but the Power of the Earth Veins, unleashed by the exploding Earth God Sand, scattered its Demon Power, slowing its reaction by a fraction of a second.

BOOM!

The staff slammed down, shattering the heavens and cracking the earth. Dust filled the air. The sky-propping iron pillar shrank back into a Coiling Dragon Rod.

A magnificent White Ape slowly walked out, calmly swinging the rod again and again, leaving only the deafening sound of its strikes.

"Another Tier Four Great Demon!"

Master Ge Cang’s face was filled with shock. He subconsciously tightened his grip on his Thunderstruck Wood Staff.

"It’s that White Ape! It’s actually become a Tier Four Great Demon... It’s only just begun its Transformation, so it probably hasn’t completed its advancement yet."

Bai Zichen recognized it at a glance. This was the same White Ape he had seen at the edge of Cyan Bull Valley.

Back then, it had been a Tier Three Peak Demon Beast. Now, the fur on its face was gone, and only short down remained on its arms, making it look much more human.

He possessed the As Clear as Daylight talent; as long as the moonlight was high in the sky, not even a Nascent Soul True Monarch could hide their presence from him.

He had detected the White Ape the moment it began to sneak in, but he had merely feigned ignorance.

He hadn’t expected that the thunder serpents scattered in the air had also informed Master Ge Cang of the mysterious person’s approach. This was a deeper, more wondrous application of a Divine Thunder Spirit.

The moment the White Ape struck, they had both sensed it, which was why they had been able to retreat in unison.

Bai Zichen could see that while the White Ape’s Staff Technique looked simple, it was imbued with the Great Dao True Intent. That was why the Cyan Simurgh had been unable to even dodge.

It had seized the perfect opportunity, striking just as the Cyan Simurgh was unleashing its full power, and used the human cultivators’ efforts to kill a Great Demon of the same rank.

The dust settled. The White Ape held the Coiling Dragon Rod in one hand and the Cyan Simurgh—several times larger than its own body—in the other.

The Tier Four Great Demon was now a pile of mangled flesh, its original form almost unrecognizable.

The White Ape took a sharp breath, its nostrils flaring. A miniature Cyan Simurgh, letting out a sharp curse, was sucked in and swallowed whole.

One beast and two men. Six eyes met.

It was as if they were back at the beginning, the two of them once again facing a Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon.