Chapter 536 - 535: A Slow Reckoning

Chapter 536: Chapter 535: A Slow Reckoning

The Slaughter Ruins brimmed with dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

No one knew how long it had existed. All that was known was that it was filled with savage monsters whose only impulse was destruction. Thus, they were called Evil Spirits!

Within the Slaughter Ruins, Evil Spirits were divided into two types.

The first was Yang Evil, which controlled the power of malevolent flames.

The second was Yin Evil, which controlled the power of malevolent frost.

Be they Yin Evil or Yang Evil, their strength was judged by their size. Those under a hundred feet tall were ordinary Evil Spirits, with power equivalent to a common Extraordinary. Those over a hundred feet could rival a King, and those over a thousand feet surpassed even the Era-Defining!

Evil Spirits over a thousand feet tall were also known as... Great Fiends!

And right then, before Qin Ya and the others, stood a Great Fiend and over a dozen Evil Spirits, each hundreds of feet tall. They had only just arrived, and already several Kings had fallen.

The Thousand-Foot Great Fiend’s gaping, bloody maw curled into a smile. With a wave of its hand, an endless torrent of Yang Evil Fire howled forth, threatening to engulf the world!

This Great Fiend’s power was comparable to the one that had emerged not long ago, but Qin Ya and his group were no powerhouses on the level of Meiying Venerable.

Facing this Yang Evil Fire that spread like a wildfire, none of them dared to meet it head-on.

Qin Ya let out a great shout, condensing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to form a Four Symbols Dharma Aspect hundreds of feet tall. A barrier of four-colored light, pulsing with Natural Energy, shielded Bi Xiaoyu and the others behind him. Meanwhile, Mo Bokong also stepped forward, conjuring an endless blizzard.

The rest of the group unleashed their own techniques to resist the encroaching Yang Evil Fire.

However, a few were unable to resist. Wisps of the fire infiltrated their bodies, and they let out bloodcurdling wails as grayish-white flames spewed from their acupoints. They were engulfed, turned into human torches, and in the blink of an eye, burned to nothing but ash.

At this sight, Mo Bokong’s pupils contracted, a sliver of terror piercing his heart.

He seemed to be recalling a terrible memory.

"The Yang Evil Fire is utterly terrifying," Mo Bokong said, sighing. "The last time I came here, I fought a hundred-foot Yang Evil. The wounds I sustained were so severe they plagued me for a full sixty years." ’Back then, I was a peerless prodigy too. If it weren’t for that Yang Evil, my strength today would be at least on par with Dongmen Gu!’

But along with his regret, he also felt a touch of relief.

’Thankfully, the one I encountered back then wasn’t a Thousand-Foot Great Fiend. Otherwise, forget lingering on for sixty years; I would’ve been turned to ash long ago, just like those men.’

"Hmph. It’s nothing but a Great Fiend."

At that moment, Dongmen Gu moved. Shrouded in a dazzling white Divine Light, he burst from the grayish-white sea of fire. His True Essence erupted, and a power like a relentless, thousand-mile river coalesced in his palm. He blasted it toward the Great Fiend.

"ROAR!"

Although the Great Fiend’s body was immense, it reacted with surprising speed. The moment Dongmen Gu attacked, it sensed the threat this human posed. It let out a long shriek as the flames covering its body flared up, scorching the very air.

The flames then condensed on the Great Fiend’s massive hand, which was nearly a hundred feet wide, and it smashed its palm forward. The collision between the palm of river energy and the claw of fire unleashed a tremendous gale. It swept up smoke and sand, creating a dust storm that billowed out in all directions.

With a deafening drone, the river of energy from Dongmen Gu’s palm suddenly shattered, scattering and blasting massive craters in the ground. A surging tide of grayish-white flames then rolled toward him, covering a hundred-foot radius around him in an instant.

But it wasn’t over. The Great Fiend abruptly thrust out a scaled claw. Its somewhat ethereal form erupted with a power even greater than a physical body, its fingers looking as if they could rip through space itself as it swiped viciously at Dongmen Gu within the inferno.

Just then, a pillar of white light erupted, soaring toward the sky. It radiated waves of majestic power and pierced straight through the Evil Spirit’s claw. As blood sprayed, Dongmen Gu’s figure strode arrogantly out of the inferno, the flames completely unable to penetrate his Divine Light to harm him. "Hmph! The Evil Qi of this Thousand-Foot Great Fiend is mine for the taking!"

He moved in a flash, his body suffused with Divine Light, appearing like a deity.

He raised his hand to the sky, and his Palm Qi condensed. Faintly, the sound of the churning Yangtze River seemed to permeate the air. With a single gesture, he sent a wave of the Yangtze River’s power surging toward the Great Fiend. Not to be outdone, the Great Fiend swiped back with its claw.

With a thunderous boom, the outcome was completely different.

The Great Fiend was sent staggering back over a hundred feet.

The surrounding Martial Artists watched in astonishment.

"He’s truly the pillar of the Dongmen Family. Such combat prowess is exceedingly rare, even among Era-Defining Kings. It’s truly enviable."

"Indeed. Dongmen Gu has been at the Era-Defining King Realm for a full sixty years. His Divine Light has almost solidified."

"That’s right. Even in the main city, there are few Era-Defining Kings who could defeat Dongmen Gu. Most are focused on breaking through to the Half-Venerable Realm."

Seeing the Thousand-Foot Great Fiend take damage, the other hundred-foot Evil Spirits ceased their assault on Qin Ya’s group. Instead, they turned to aid the Great Fiend, clashing with Dongmen Gu.

"Dongmen Feng, stop those Evil Spirits for me!"

"Yes..."

A dozen or so cultivators from the Dongmen Family, including Kings and even Era-Defining Kings, rushed forward to intercept and slaughter the remaining Evil Spirits. Meanwhile, the other factions quickly led their people away from the battlefield, heading elsewhere.

"Qin Ya, let’s leave now while the Dongmen Family is tied up with the other Evil Spirits," Mo Bokong said in a low voice. "The Slaughter Ruins are vast. By the time they close, it’s unlikely they’ll ever run into us again."

But Qin Ya shook his head, a piercingly cold glint in his eyes. He turned to Mo Bokong and the others. "City Lord Mo, we each hold a Devouring Evil Seal. Let’s split up."

Even as he spoke, however, his gaze remained fixed on Dongmen Gu.

Seeing this, Mo Bokong seemed to realize Qin Ya’s intention. His expression shifted slightly as he said, "Qin Ya, the Dongmen Family has strength in numbers. With your..."

Before he could finish, Qin Ya cut him off. "City Lord Mo, please don’t worry. I never act without confidence. Trust me."

Just then, Bi Xiaoyu walked up to Qin Ya, her expression incredibly conflicted. She took a deep breath and said, "I know that if I stay here, I’ll only hold you back."

"So... I will get stronger!"

"So... you have to come back safely!"

"Let me follow you! Let me witness your journey!"

Looking at Bi Xiaoyu, her eyes shining with determination, Qin Ya’s expression grew serious. His voice was firm as he said, "Trust me. I will."

"Deputy City Lord, please take care."

"Ha, by the time we meet again, I bet the Deputy City Lord will be even stronger."

"Of course. We can’t fall too far behind, either."

With that, Mo Bokong, Black Dragon, White Wolf, Bi Xiaoyu, and the others turned and departed.

Qin Ya smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on Dongmen Gu in the distance, the coldness in his eyes unconcealed. ’Dongmen Gu,’ he thought, ’we can take our time settling the score between us.’