Chapter 18 : Shadows of the Demonic Tribulation

Eternal Spread Chen spoke, his gaze tinged with recollection. A century ago, he had been less than ten years old, yet the memory of that terrifying Demonic Tribulation [a calamity caused by demonic cultivators] remained vividly etched in his mind.

As his words fell, he looked at the heads in the cellar and continued.

"Fortunately, this minor demonic fiend dared not run rampant within the city, merely killing a few dozen people in secret. Otherwise, had he found the opportunity to slaughter thousands to refine a Demonic Treasure [an artifact forged through vile, often sacrificial, means], even an ordinary cultivator at the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the final stage of refining one's foundational life energy] might not have been able to subdue him."

Eldrin Chen listened quietly, a flicker of killing intent hidden deep within his eyes.

For now, this Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses malevolent, often sacrificial, methods to gain power] indeed dared not act recklessly. But once the Chen Clan weakened, such hidden Demonic Cultivator threats would likely be the first to rise up and take a bite. When that calamity struck, it would be the common folk of the Chen Immortal Clan [a clan of cultivators] who would suffer.

Throughout the ages, countless cultivation clans had ultimately been schemed against by these Demonic Cultivator in their moments of weakness. Losing their foundation of mortal descendants, they were reduced to precarious rogue cultivators with turbulent Destiny [the predetermined course of one's life and cultivation path], eventually fading away into the vast Long River [a metaphorical river representing the flow of time and history] of the world.

"It seems our resolve to root them out early was absolutely the right decision," he concluded.

The group meticulously searched the Demonic Cultivator's dwelling. Finding no further clues, they could only return to the main square.

The screening continued. In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and on this day, yet another Demonic Cultivator was discovered.

This particular Demonic Cultivator was not detected by the screening. Instead, fearing exposure after being summoned, he killed the messenger and attempted to flee. The complete novel can be found at http://www . audio-novel.com.

Alas, the City Defense Grand Formation [a powerful protective barrier array] had long since been activated. The entire Pingyang County was now ensnared within the Heaven and Earth Net [a formation that seals an area, trapping all within]. Even a Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses unorthodox, often malevolent methods to cultivate power] who entered would be forced to leave a piece of their life behind. For him, there was simply no path of escape.

In the end, Fourth Elder Verdant Destiny Chen personally took action. Channeling his magical instrument, he struck down the fugitive at the very edge of the city walls. In the days that followed, a swift and profound silence descended once more, as if the Demonic Cultivator had all vanished into the shadows.

Several nights later, within a large courtyard in the city, five figures cloaked in black robes gathered, their heads bent together in secret council.

"Esteemed colleagues," one began, "it appears the Chen Clan has truly resolved itself this time. They leave us no path to survival."

"To sit and await our doom is no strategy. Our only chance to live lies in taking the initiative, in striking first."

The speaker was their leader, a Demonic Cultivator at the Vital Essence Refinement 8th Tier [the eighth stage of the first major cultivation realm, focused on refining one's life force]. His features were handsome, yet his gaze held a sinister, crimson hue.

The others seemed to harbor a measure of fear towards him. Only one let out a cold snort before speaking.

"Silent Han," the man said, "your master is Zhang Old Demon. Surely he possesses some means for you to escape this place?"

"Now you drive us to fight desperately. Don't tell me you intend to use us as mere cannon fodder?"

Upon hearing this, the other Demonic Cultivator immediately turned wary eyes towards Silent Han.

Zhang Old Demon's legacy originated from the Demon Cave and the Demonic Cultivator path. He was a notorious Foundation Establishment-realm Demonic Cultivator within Yu County, known for his cunning and malevolence, often resorting to any means necessary to achieve his ends.

With such a formidable backer, Silent Han had always been arrogant and unrestrained, making others deeply wary of him.

Upon hearing this, Silent Han fell into a rare silence for a moment before finally speaking.

"We never imagined the Chen Clan would act so decisively."

"Even Junior Brother Zhang, the master's own son, was slain by a Chen Clan Elder after sacrificing thousands of mortals."

"I am merely a nominal disciple. How could I have so many contingencies? Our only chance for survival is to fight our way out together."

As he spoke, he felt he had shown too much fear in front of the others and added, "But rest assured, with over ten days having passed, our master has surely realized the situation by now."

"If we coordinate from within and break their City Defense Grand Formation in Pingyang County, our master can tear through the formation and lead us to safety."

The dissenting Demonic Cultivator still harbored doubts, but with no better alternative at hand, he reluctantly agreed to Silent Han's plan.

"Then we must act without delay. Let us strike together tonight."

"..."

At the midnight hour, within the core of the grand formation at the center of Pingyang County, over twenty cultivators were stationed around the array, vigilantly guarding the defensive formation of Pingyang City.

Suddenly, the Grand Elder opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within his pupils.

"Who goes there?"

"*Whoosh—*"

A soft sound pierced the darkness as several streaks of light shot forth one after another—they were actually several Demonic Treasure [enchanted artifacts forged with demonic energy]. This content originates from audio novel.com. Please respect copyright.

The Grand Elder reacted decisively, summoning a magical weapon in the form of a warblade to intercept the attack mid-air, deflecting the most powerful of the incoming Demonic Treasure.

The clash unfolded in the blink of an eye. Although the Demonic Cultivator's [cultivators who harness demonic or malevolent energies] surprise assault caught the defenders off guard, the cultivators of the Chen Clan were not entirely unprepared.

In the frantic initial exchange, only one cultivator, too slow to react, was grievously wounded. The others swiftly rallied, unleashing their own magical weapons and techniques to engage the enemy.

From the very outset of the battle, the Demonic Cultivator found themselves rapidly losing ground.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Silent Han gritted his teeth and produced a blood-red demonic saber. With a desperate act, he sprayed a mouthful of his Vital Essence Blood [the life-force concentrated blood of a cultivator, its loss severely damages vitality] onto the blade.

This blade was named the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber. It had been forged by his master, Zhang Old Demon, using Millennial Crimson Iron [a rare, blood-tinged spiritual iron that requires a millennium to form]. Strictly speaking, this demonic weapon was merely a blade embryo. To complete its forging, it required the absorption of the blood of one hundred thousand ordinary mortals.

Such demonic sabers were notoriously tyrannical. Once fully forged, it would become a top-tier Second Rank Demonic Treasure [an enchanted artifact forged with malevolent or demonic energies]. If wielded personally by Zhang Old Demon, even an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator could be cleaved in two, their entire Vitality [life force and spiritual vigor] drained away until death.

To complete the saber's forging, Zhang Old Demon had entrusted this embryonic weapon to Silent Han. His task was to hide within the city and, capitalizing on the current weakness of the Chen Clan, seek an opportunity for the blood sacrifice needed to finish the blade.

The reason for this indirect approach lay in Zhang Old Demon's inherently suspicious nature and his deep fear of the Solar Trueflame Formation [a powerful defensive formation that channels pure solar fire]. Although he was a Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator, he dared not enter Pingyang County personally, forcing him to delegate this perilous mission to his disciple.

Now, cornered and desperate to break the stalemate, Silent Han paid a grievous price. He used his own Vital Essence Blood to activate the saber, sacrificing a massive portion of his Vitality. With this desperate measure, he unleashed the power of this Second Rank Demonic Treasure embryo, hoping to achieve a decisive victory.

"Disaster!"

The moment the demonic saber appeared, the Grand Elder's face paled dramatically as he cried out.

"It's a Second Rank Demonic Treasure!"

"I must activate the Solar Trueflame Grand Formation! Hold them off for me, if only for a moment!"

Hearing this, everyone immediately exerted their full strength, striving to block this demonic blade.

The incident was too sudden. Even though Grand Elder wanted to activate the Solar Trueflame Grand Formation [a powerful defensive formation channeling solar fire] to defend, it would require several breaths of time.

After all, the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber was a top-tier Second Rank Demonic Treasure [an artifact forged with demonic energy]. Though merely a blade embryo, its power was already comparable to a Second Rank Low-Grade magical weapon.

As the demonic saber descended, ordinary First Rank mid-to-low grade magical weapons shattered upon contact. Even First Rank high-grade weapons were notched and sent flying back. Three Chen Clan cultivators, their luck having run out, were cleaved in two, their entire Vitality [life force and essence] drained away in an instant.

It was during these few breaths that the others resting in the side hall finally reacted.

Eldrin Chen was the first to charge forward. He summoned his Golden Light Blade and slashed at the demonic saber. The two blades clashed, and the Golden Light Blade was sent flying back, knocked aside.

Seeing that even the Golden Light Blade could not withstand the assault, and with no time to lament the damage to his weapon, he immediately unleashed his Verdant Leaf Sword. This time, he did not aim for the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber. Instead, his strike flew straight for Silent Han's head.

This tactic of relieving a besieged ally by attacking the enemy's base proved effective. At this critical moment of life and death, Silent Han could no longer focus on the Grand Elder. He frantically redirected the demonic saber to intercept the Verdant Leaf Sword. With a single clash, the Verdant Leaf Sword's radiance dimmed drastically, its spiritual nature grievously wounded. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel dot com.