Chapter 138 Siege of the Purple Palace Demon Python (Demon Beast)

"At this point, I have no other options left."

His expression turned grave as he continued, "I can only have Yang Yuanhe mobilize all Foundation Establishment cultivators from Ling Prefecture and deploy every available reinforcement to support you."

"Very well. I shall do my utmost to stall the 4 Purple Mansion realm beasts outside Yuyang Market."

"Return to Feng County and join forces with Yuanhe. See if you can provide support to Fengyang Trading Post (Location) and hold off the Purple-Spotted Wolf King (Demon Beast)."

Upon hearing Patriarch Yang's words, many in the crowd wore expressions of distress.

For the cultivators of Yu County, the sudden deployment of 5 Foundation Establishment and 1 Purple Mansion realm experts would undoubtedly make the ensuing battles exceedingly arduous.

For the cultivators of Feng Commandery, even if Patriarch Xu Daoyuan were to return, he might not be able to withstand the assault led by the Purple-Spotted Wolf King (Demon Beast)—a cultivator at the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm)—accompanied by tens of thousands of low-level demon beasts.

Back then, after joining forces with several Purple Palace, Mid Stage demon beasts, that Purple-Spotted Wolf King (Demon Beast) could even hold its own against Lyra (Person Name), proving its formidable strength. Moreover, it commanded 2 additional Purple Palace, Early Stage demon beasts under its lead.

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, Eldrin exchanged a glance with the old clan leader and finally spoke.

"Esteemed Seniors, if we juniors first defeat the 4 Zi Palace beasts outside the city, then concentrate our forces to reinforce Feng County, we might break this deadlock."

"Defeat the Zifu-level demon beast outside the city?"

A flicker of delight crossed Xu Daoyuan’s face, but it soon gave way to a furrowed brow as he shook his head and remarked, “If I were confident in defeating him, why would an old man like me be frowning like this?”

Eldrin exchanged a glance with the Old Patriarch, who stepped forward at the opportune moment and spoke.

"Senior, with this old man joining forces with my nephew here, we stand a fair chance against a Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) demonic beast."

Moreover, we still have a treasure ark in our possession.

Eldrin spoke as he retrieved the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Ark (Magic Treasure).

"This vessel..." Patriarch Yang's eyes lit up with surprise. "To think the Thunderstorm Roc met its end at your hands."

He stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. "Judging by the formation patterns on this treasure vessel, it appears to be engraved with the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Sword Formation."

"This formation was created by Patriarch Jiang. I have personally witnessed its power—once activated, it rivals the full-force divine ability of a Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator."

"If used at a critical moment, it might achieve the miraculous effect of subduing the enemy with a single strike."

With a delighted gaze, Grandmaster Yang looked at Eldrin (Person Name).

If the 2 members of the Chen family could truly contend with a single Zifu-level demonic beast, coupled with the presence of this treasure ark, they might genuinely be able to break the deadlock.

At this thought, he stroked his long beard excitedly and declared, "Since we possess such a trump card, it seems we truly stand a chance in this battle."

"Excellent, excellent!" Xu Daoyuan grew even more excited, expressing his profound gratitude as he said, "If this battle succeeds, your Chen Family will be credited with a great merit."

Since the decision to join the battle was made, everyone swiftly finalized their strategy.

To vanquish the enemy in 1 decisive strike, the great clans once again drew upon their remaining strength from Yu County, mobilizing every Foundation Establishment cultivator they could muster to gather at the Yuyang Market.

In just 3 days, Yu Yang Market gained 7 or 8 additional Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Chen Family also transferred Chen Caleb (Person Name), who had been guarding Dark Iron Mountain (Location), and Kael (Person Name), the guardian of Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location).

With this wave of reinforcements, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators within Yuyang Market had reached 30-3.

Early that morning, the cultivators in the market district were already preparing to take the initiative and launch an attack. The Foundation Establishment cultivators had once again begun distributing formation flags to the Qi Refining cultivators.

These formation banners mostly came from Lyra's allocation. In the past, Eldrin had once activated such banners to participate in the great battle at Demon Wolf Mountain, making them exceptionally rare and formidable weapons on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Eldrin had also been preparing for quite some time. Standing beside him were the old clan leader, Chen Caleb, Kael, and 8 other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These Foundation Establishment cultivators would board the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Ark with him. The ark's protective formation not only allowed them to attack their enemies without restraint, but would also require them to activate the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Sword Array at critical moments.

In addition, there were 18 Chen Clan cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. They had brought with them the Blazing Sun Divine Flame Array, a formation whose fully unleashed combat prowess could nearly rival that of 2 or 3 experts at the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). This made them an exceptionally rare peak-level combat force.

After waiting another half hour, the distant Elder Yang glanced at the assembly and gave an approving nod before speaking.

"Since all preparations are in order, let us begin."

At the command of Patriarch Yang, the humans in the market activated their formation banners and surged forward in an endless assault.

Over there, the Thunder Roc saw the human army charging forth and immediately let out a cold sneer, driving the low-level demon beasts into battle.

Having departed from the Yuanyang Market's Heaven-Slaying Demon-Subduing Grand Formation, the demonic races—whether in numbers of Purple Mansions or Qi Refiners—far surpassed those of the human race. Naturally, they harbored no fear of battle.

The great war was on the verge of eruption. The moment humans and demons clashed, it immediately ignited an all-out decisive battle.

Elder Yang charged at the forefront, single-handedly holding off the Thunder Roc and the 6-Winged Golden Butterfly without showing the slightest hint of faltering.

Xu Daoyuan followed closely behind, summoning his life-bound magical treasure, the Lianxu Wutu Ding, and immediately intercepted the Zifu demon beast, the Qingyan Hu.

The last Frost Serpent attempted to swarm Xu Daoyuan when the Old Clan Leader soared into the air, instantly summoning his life-bound artifact—the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Spirit Blade—to deliver a decisive slash.

The current Elder Patriarch’s internal true essence now surpassed that of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator by 80 percent, nearly brushing against the threshold of half-step Purple Mansion.

Such profound true essence, when channeled through the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit blade, unleashed a blade aura spanning over a dozen zhang—potent enough to threaten even a Purple Mansion beast.

Although the Frost Serpent possessed cultivation at the second level of the Purple Mansion, it wasn’t foolish enough to meet this strike head-on with its own body. A glint of cold light flashed in its eyes as it let out a deafening roar, unleashing a wave of freezing energy that surged toward its opponent.

The frigid energy swept forth to blot out the skies and engulf the earth, instantly causing the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit blade's radiance to dim. Its residual force even surged toward the Old Patriarch.

"A mere ordinary spell possessed such formidable power."

"This Purple Mansion demonic beast is truly formidable."

Facing a fully-powered Purple Mansion beast for the first time, the old clan leader’s pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

He dared not delay, immediately raising his hand to summon the Crimson-Gold Banner of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure). In an instant, the treasure banner enveloped the void, erupting with raging Li Fire that swept outward, vaporizing the overwhelming frigid energy in a single breath.

Seeing the spell blocked by the formation flags, the Frostscale Python's eyes turned icy cold. It opened its jaws and spat out 7 streaks of white sword light that soared through the air, slashing down with lethal intent.

Eldrin raised his gaze and saw that the 7 sword rays were utterly crystalline and cold—they were Frost Immortal Swords forged from millennia-old profound ice, each a second-tier, superior-grade magic artifact.

Although this immortal sword was not a third-grade magic treasure, when wielded by the Ice Python with its second-level Purple Mansion cultivation base, its power remained terrifying. Even if 7 Foundation Establishment cultivators were to face it, they would likely be slain in a single strike.

At the critical moment, Eldrin did not stand idly by. Urging the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Boat to carry the group forward, he raised his hand and unleashed the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, sending a blazing slash toward the enemy.

The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) was Eldrin’s (Person Name) life-bound immortal sword, and it actually allowed him to unleash its full power. A 30-zhang sword aura blazed forth, striking down 7 frigid immortal swords 1 by 1 and blocking the attack.

Chapter 1: The Reborn Youth Mount Canglan, Outer Sect. A dilapidated wooden house stood silently in the mountain breeze. Inside, a youth of 15 or 16 years lay on a simple bed, his face pale as paper. Suddenly, his fingers twitched slightly, and his eyelids fluttered open. "Where... am I?" A wave of splitting headache assaulted him, followed by chaotic memories flooding his mind like a tidal wave. Chu Xun, 16 years old, an outer sect disciple of the Mount Canglan Sect. 3 days ago, during the sect's quarterly assessment, he was severely injured by a fellow disciple and had been lying unconscious ever since. "No, I am Mo Chen, the Grand Primordial Celestial Venerable!" The youth's eyes abruptly snapped open, a flash of shock and confusion sweeping across his pupils. He clearly remembered that at the peak of the Divine Ruins Mountain Range, in order to seize the Primordial Chaos Divine Artifact, he had been ambushed and besieged by 9 other major powers. In the final moment, he had detonated his celestial soul, perishing together with them. He never expected that when he opened his eyes again, his soul would have transmigrated into the body of this outer sect disciple. "Since I have been given a second chance at life, from this day forward, you are me, and I am you. Your grievances and hatreds shall be mine to bear!" Chu Xun struggled to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his entire body, causing him to grimace involuntarily. He inspected his body and couldn't help but frown even deeper. The meridians throughout his body were severely damaged, and his dantian showed faint signs of shattering. If not treated in time, his cultivation would be completely ruined in less than 3 days. "Such vicious methods." Chu Xun's eyes turned cold. In his memories, the 1 who had injured him was an outer sect disciple named Zhao Kang. The 2 had never had any conflicts before; this attack was clearly premeditated. "Zhao Kang..." Chu Xun repeated the name softly, a cold gleam flashing in the depths of his eyes. As the Grand Primordial Celestial Venerable of a past life, even in his current diminished state, he was not someone a mere ant could bully. But the most pressing matter at hand was to heal his injuries. Chu Xun closed his eyes, searching through the countless supreme techniques in his mind, and soon settled on the "Chaos Heaven Devouring Art." This was an ancient technique he had once obtained by chance in a primordial ruins. It was said to be able to devour all things in the world to nourish 1's own body. Although his current body was weak, with the assistance of this technique, healing his injuries would not be difficult. Just as Chu Xun was about to begin his recovery, the dilapidated wooden door was kicked open with a "bang." A young man in blue robes swaggered in, a look of disdain on his face. "Chu Xun, it seems you're not dead after all?" The person who arrived was none other than Zhao Kang, the 1 who had injured him! Behind Zhao Kang stood 2 other outer sect disciples, both wearing expressions of mockery as they looked at Chu Xun lying on the bed. "What, have you come to confirm whether I'm dead or not?" Chu Xun asked coldly, his expression calm. Zhao Kang was slightly taken aback, feeling that something about Chu Xun was different today. But upon careful thought, a mere first-level Qi Refining Stage ant was nothing to be concerned about. "Since you're not dead, I'll be straightforward." Zhao Kang sneered. "Hand over the Spirit Gathering Talisman your sister gave you, and I might consider letting you live." So that was the reason. A cold light flickered in Chu Xun's eyes. The Spirit Gathering Talisman was a treasure that could accelerate cultivation. His sister, Chu Xiyue, had gone through great lengths to obtain it for him before she joined the inner sect. No wonder Zhao Kang had targeted him; it was all for this talisman. "In your dreams," Chu Xun said coldly. Zhao Kang's expression turned sinister. "You're seeking death!" As he spoke, he reached out to grab Chu Xun. Just as his hand was about to touch Chu Xun, a strange glint flashed in Chu Xun's eyes. He formed a hand seal with his fingers, and a nearly imperceptible black light shot straight toward Zhao Kang's dantian. This was the Soul Severing Finger, a secret technique that could damage an opponent's foundation without leaving a trace. "Ah!" Zhao Kang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his dantian, and his body staggered backward. "Brother Zhao, what's wrong?" The 2 disciples behind him quickly stepped forward to support him. Zhao Kang's face was pale, but when he checked his body, he found nothing wrong. Thinking it was just an illusion, he glared fiercely at Chu Xun. "Consider yourself lucky today. Just you wait!" After saying this, he led the 2 others away in a huff. After they left, Chu Xun finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Although the Soul Severing Finger was powerful, with his current cultivation level, using it came at a great cost. However, that strike had damaged Zhao Kang's foundation. Without 3 to 5 months of recovery, he would not be able to make a full comeback. Chu Xun took a deep breath, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Just wait; once he recovered his strength, he would make Zhao Kang pay the price. He sat cross-legged on the bed, ready to begin his recovery. But at that moment, a crisp female voice came from outside the door. "Brother Chu Xun, are you here?"