Chapter 22 Fierce Battle with the Demonic Cultivator

Clang—

No sooner had he spoken than a fiery crimson sword light streaked across the sky, descending toward the elegant middle-aged woman.

It was Eldrin who activated the formation and unleashed the formation artifact—the Fire Sun Sword—striking forth. His move was decisively ruthless, aiming to eliminate the weakest among the 3, the middle-aged beauty, with his very first strike.

The middle-aged beauty, whose cultivation was merely at the seventh level of Qi Refining, panicked at the sight. She hastily summoned a black silk artifact, attempting to block the strike.

The might of the Kehuo Yang Sword was boundless—even a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement would struggle to withstand it, let alone her.

Only a thunderous explosion was heard as the silk magical tool was sliced in 2, reduced to ashes by the power of the scorching sun.

Not only that, the Flaming Sun Sword continued its unstoppable arc, slicing directly toward the beautiful woman's brow.

In haste, the burly middle-aged man summoned a crimson small shield, unleashing a blood-red barrier that withstood the blow.

This was a first-class, superior-grade demonic artifact, forged through the extraction of copious amounts of mortal life essence. The light barrier it projected was truly extraordinary, yet after withstanding the might of the Fire Sun Sword, it had only dimmed by 40 to 50 percent.

Eldrin saw that his first strike had failed and immediately channeled more energy, bringing the Fire Sun Sword down once more.

As an array artifact, the Fire Sun Sword could only unleash 9 strikes after accumulating 10 years of morning glow—each strike was naturally devastating in power.

The second sword radiance slashed down, shattering the blood-red shield light with a resounding crack. The 3 demonic cultivators scrambled apart in a frantic tumble, stumbling and rolling to evade the attack.

Pure Yang Array Artifact.

The burly demonic cultivator’s face darkened, his expression pained as he gazed at the severely damaged blood shield. Gritting his teeth, he retrieved a talisman.

This talisman is named the 6 Ghosts Talisman, sealed within it are 6 Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) malevolent spirits. Due to its demanding material requirements and the necessity of 6 Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) evil ghosts, the Elder Demon Zhang possessed only 1 or 2 of these talismans at most.

Although the 1-time-use 6 Ghost Talisman was far less valuable compared to the 7 Souls Malevolent Ghost Banner, its efficacy in critical moments was nearly indistinguishable.

At that moment, 6 Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) malevolent spirits surged forth, immediately causing Eldrin (Person Name) to furrow his brow.

If these 6 malevolent ghosts were allowed to rampage, the spirit fields on the lake island, the spirit geese, and even the 2 siblings would all be in danger.

Eldrin had no time to hesitate. He immediately summoned the Fire Sun Sword and unleashed 6 consecutive slashes, reducing the 6 malevolent spirits to ashes.

"1 more sword, for whom?"

After slaying the 6 ghosts, Eldrin glanced at the trio, a thought flashing through his mind in an instant.

That sword strike just now had forced the 3 to scatter into the misty clouds, but if this dragged on, they would undoubtedly regroup.

It was but a fleeting thought, yet a chill flickered in Eldrin's (Person Name) gaze.

"Injuring all 10 fingers is not as effective as severing 1."

"Slay—"

With a decisive slash, his sword shot straight toward the weakest cultivator—the beautiful woman.

This woman was the weakest in cultivation, and with her demonic artifact destroyed, she suffered severe backlash, leaving her heavily wounded.

At this moment, as she watched the Fire Sun Sword descending upon her, her face instantly contorted in terror. In her frantic state, she barely managed to summon a single magical artifact—a demonic trident—to block the strike. Yet, the blade sliced through both her and the trident, cleaving them in 2.

"Ah—"

A sharp, abruptly cut-off scream echoed across the island. The other 2 demons’ expressions twisted wildly, and they immediately rushed toward the source of the sound, regrouping without a moment’s delay.

The 2 exchanged a glance at the bisected beauty, their pupils contracting sharply before they looked at each other again with terror in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Eldrin glanced at the Fire Sun Sword and couldn't help but frown. After that strike, the accumulated dawnlight energy within the sword had been completely depleted. Even the mist conjured by the Cloud Mist Pouch was gradually dissipating.

"It seems we must settle this through combat."

Setting down the array disk, Eldrin charged toward the location of the 2 demons.

The encounter between 1 human and 2 demons inevitably led to a life-or-death struggle. The gaunt elder was the first to strike, summoning a razor-sharp treasure wheel that came slashing through the air.

This was a first-tier, superior-grade demonic treasure. Though its power was far inferior to top-tier demonic artifacts like the 7 Souls Ghost Banner, it could still be considered a solid, reliable piece.

As the treasure wheel spun forth to kill, Eldrin’s gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, he summoned the Verdant Leaf Sword, driving it through the air to intercept the assault.

Not only that, he continued to channel his zhenqi, commanding the Golden Light Blade to shoot forth, aiming straight for the withered elder's head.

The flying sword moved with extreme speed, its golden blade akin to a shooting star, arriving before the withered demon in an instant.

At this critical moment of life and death, the gaunt elder demon was already prepared. With a surge of his magic tool, he summoned a pitch-black bell that expanded into a luminous barrier, shielding himself and actually managing to block Eldrin’s flying sword.

Defensive Demon Artifact.

Eldrin's eyes flickered with surprise. This small bell was actually a Grade 1, Top-Tier defensive demonic artifact as well. The thought made him feel a hint of relief.

Fortunately, he hadn't used the final strike of the Flaming Sun Sword against this man. The gaunt demonic cultivator possessed a top-grade defensive demonic artifact, capable of withstanding even the full-force assault of the Flaming Sun Sword.

If we fail to kill him then, facing the combined assault of a Ninth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator and 2 Qi Refinement, Late Stage demonic practitioners would leave us severely disadvantaged.

"Brat, prepare to die!"

The battle erupted in an instant, and the burly demonic cultivator struck simultaneously.

As the strongest among the 3, this demon's blood shield had been shattered and he had lost his defensive magical instrument, yet he remained a force to be reckoned with.

He summoned a flying sword brimming with baleful aura, which transformed into a streak of sword radiance that soared through the air and slashed toward them.

Eldrin showed no fear whatsoever. The small cyan shield in his hand radiated a protective glow, effortlessly deflecting the assault of this flying sword.

The azure small shield was a top-grade magical artifact. Back then, that Qi Refining seventh-layer demonic cultivator had relied on this very item to block 2 of Eldrin's flying swords, demonstrating its exceptional defensive capabilities.

Now that this treasure had fallen into Eldrin's hands, when activated with his cultivation at the 9th level of Qi Refining, its power instantly surged by more than 50 percent, naturally placing him in an invincible position.

Relying on his profound true qi and the power of this formidable defensive magical treasure, Eldrin actually gained the upper hand while fighting 2 opponents single-handedly.

Just as the battle had raged for a quarter of an hour, the gaunt elder saw the glow of his defensive demonic artifact dimming—it could no longer withstand the relentless assault of the golden light blades. Unable to hold back, he shot a frantic glance toward the burly demonic cultivator.

"To keep fighting would only lead to our certain death."

"If you have any other means, now is the time to use them."

The burly demonic cultivator's expression turned slightly frosty upon hearing this.

His gaze turned icy as he summoned a glimmer of golden light and launched it toward Eldrin.

Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needle!

The moment he saw the golden light, Eldrin's pupils contracted slightly. Not only did he immediately maximize his shield's radiance, but he also activated the Golden Armor Talisman.

The Golden Ray Heart-Locking Needle was a special first-class, superior-grade magical instrument. Although this type of needle-based artifact was not particularly powerful, it specialized in breaking through defensive shield lights, and its effectiveness was often unparalleled.

Sure enough, the golden light soared into the air and whooshed straight toward him. Even the glow of the Cyan Light Shield couldn't block it—the radiance was pierced straight through, leaving a tiny hole in its wake.

Fortunately, the Golden Armor Talisman proved remarkably effective, transforming into a suit of golden armor that shielded Eldrin and actually managed to block the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needle.

At the critical moment, Eldrin had no time to consider anything else. He immediately summoned the blade embryo, striking the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needle until its glow dimmed and it fell to the ground.