Chapter 508 509: Demon Slaying - Finale, One's Own Shortcomings

A hallowed radiance enveloped Chen Dong, blocking the claw strike.

Countless sword shadows pierced the rampaging Brown Earth Celestial King. With a flash of brilliance, they exploded.

Chen Dong floated down from the air, landing on the ground and panting heavily. Having used a Sword Technique that surpassed the Golden Core Stage, the Spiritual Power in his body was instantly drained.

'He should be dead, right?'

"He should be. That technique was originally only usable by someone at the Divinity Transformation Stage. It's a good thing you have an ultra-grade Golden Core, or you wouldn't have been able to use it at all. Even though our soul power is insufficient, it still packed ten to twenty percent of the original's might!"

'With that many sword shadows exploding, he has to be dead!'

However, at that very moment, before Chen Dong had recovered even a sliver of Spiritual Power, an afterimage reappeared as if teleporting. The demon's entire body had been blown apart. Less than half of it remained intact, most of its head was gone, and a mangled arm dangled from its torso, connected only by a strip of flesh no larger than a palm.

Yet the half of its mouth that remained was still chanting, "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!..."

Then, the mangled arm stabbed toward Chen Dong's heart.

Horror filled Chen Dong's eyes. He couldn't dodge. The Spiritual Qi in his body was completely depleted.

'Am I going to die? No, I shouldn't die completely. My Golden Core is still intact, so I might be able to reconstruct my body. But that requires Supreme Treasures of Heaven and Earth. In this Demon Realm, who would possibly help me!'

Just at this critical moment, Chen Dong saw the Nine-Star Fox Fire flare to life.

The mangled Brown Earth Celestial King was instantly engulfed by the Fox Fire and burned to ash.

Chen Dong, saved from the crisis, gave a faint, bitter smile. 'Yun Misha?'

'It seems the Fox Demon Race's hatred for the Demon Race is no less than my own.'

After incinerating the Brown Earth Celestial King, the Nine-Star Fox Fire vanished. Clearly, Yun Misha had no intention of showing herself.

Chen Dong thought, 'She's probably figured out my identity by now. For the sake of the Demon Race, she should kill me, but for the sake of the Fox Demon Race, she can't. She must feel so conflicted!'

Once a sliver of Spiritual Power returned to his body, Chen Dong began to clean up the battlefield. After its rampage, the demon had left nothing behind, not even a Magic Crystal. 'Perhaps Yun Misha's fire burned it away,' Chen Dong mused, unconcerned. After quickly dismantling the Array, he vanished into the night.

He then returned stealthily to Immortal Fox City. Other members of the Demon Race might have spotted him, but by now, Chen Dong was no longer afraid.

'Since Yun Misha knows the truth and hasn't exposed me, that's tacit approval. What's there to be afraid of?'

Back at the inn, Chen Dong set up a simple Guard Array and began his recovery. He had used practically every trick up his sleeve in that fight, yet he had still almost fallen to the demon. Chen Dong now had a profound appreciation for the power of the Demon Race, especially after they went berserk.

Chen Dong also began to reflect on his own shortcomings. His methods of attack were too one-dimensional, and his defenses were severely lacking. Once the Six Pillars of Radiance were exhausted, he didn't even have a true killing-blow Divine Technique.

But cultivating Thunder and Fire Divine Techniques required numerous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Forget weapons—he didn't even have a single decent Spiritual Artifact. In the end, Chen Dong suddenly realized just how poor he was. It was a good thing he had three thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones coming his way; otherwise, he'd be crying his eyes out.

Then, Chen Dong's eyes lit up as he gazed toward the City Lord's Mansion. 'Trying to swindle me out of the Yuqing Immortal Technique? Don't blame me for being ruthless!'

「Two days later.」

Chen Dong, having finally recovered to his peak condition, walked straight toward the City Lord's Mansion. The sun was bright, and he was ready to collect his debt.

A Maid in the City Lord's Mansion, who seemed to have been given prior instructions, immediately led Chen Dong inside upon seeing him.

He was led before the same grotto-residence. Yun Mengshang and Yun Misha were both present; it seemed Yun Mengshang had just come out of seclusion specifically to meet him.

Yun Misha asked, "Have you figured out a way for us to trust you, Chen... Dong?"

'So Yun Misha really did guess my identity. An old monster at the Divinity Transformation Stage doesn't just judge by appearances. The battle was only a hundred li from Fox Immortal City, so it's not surprising she sensed it. I probably exposed myself with that Saint Dao Divine Technique, or maybe it was the Fire Phoenix I used back at Qingxiang Tower.'

'But none of that matters. I'll deny being Chen Dong to my dying breath.'

So Chen Dong frowned and said, "Grand Elder, what kind of joke is this? My name is Li Xu. I am a demon who only recently took human form. I don't know any Chen Dong."

Yun Mengshang and Yun Misha exchanged a frown. 'Did we guess wrong?' They weren't actually certain; they were just trying to bait him. After all, his demonic aura couldn't be faked. Their initial theory was that Chen Dong had possessed the body of a member of the Demon Race. But now, probing him at such close range, they found no signs of possession in either his physical body or his soul.

They both came to the conclusion that they must have been mistaken. His Secret Techniques were probably just similar to Chen Dong's.

Yun Misha laughed heartily. "My cultivation has been a little messy the last few days, leaving my aura in disarray and my memory hazy. So, let me ask again, Brother Li Xu, are you ready?"

Chen Dong smiled faintly and produced a list. "Gather everything on this list, and I will tell you the whereabouts of the Soul-Nurturing Puyang and the Xuan Yuan Zi Qi."

Yun Misha grabbed Chen Dong's wrist as she took the list from him.

Before she even looked at the list, her brow furrowed deeply. 'This Li Xu really did transform recently; his bone age is only just over twenty. But how does he know so much? Arrays, thunder techniques, Fire Techniques, and Sword Techniques... What kind of environment could possibly produce a member of the Spiritual Demon Race like him?'

Her heart full of doubt, Yun Misha opened the list. Yun Mengshang moved to her side to look at it as well.

Instantly, the two of them cried out in unison, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"