Chapter 178 Zifu Demonic Spirit

The 2 exchanged over 30 moves in the void, yet neither had gained the upper hand. Chen Changxuan then raised his voice and declared.

"Make it quick, don't drag this out."

As soon as his words fell, he summoned the Crimson-Gold Banner of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure), unleashing Soul-Devouring Blaze Fire to relentlessly refine the Metallic Demon Spirit before him.

Everyone understood clearly that this place was saturated with Geng Metal energy, making it the natural domain of the Geng Metal Monstrous Spirits. Attempting to outlast them through attrition would be futile. Thus, they unanimously unleashed their flying swords, magical treasures, and supernatural abilities toward the Geng Metal Monstrous Spirits.

10 Foundation Establishment cultivators struck simultaneously, unleashing several dozen magical treasures and divine abilities in rapid succession. Even a Zi Palace beast was thrown into disarray by the onslaught.

However, that Eldrin was, after all, a Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) demonic beast. It unleashed a defensive supernatural power to withstand the party’s successive assaults.

The cultivation levels of the group were ultimately somewhat lacking. Without a single Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) great cultivator present, even a dozen or so second-grade magic treasures and divine abilities struggled to breach that defensive divine ability.

Not only that, but after deploying its defensive supernatural power, the Eldrin also summoned a second-tier, superior-grade sword embryo.

The sword embryo was crafted from extraordinary materials, forged from third-grade Great White Geng Metal, its power already reaching the level of quasi-third-grade.

With the presence of this sword embryo, it not only repelled the Old Patriarch’s Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit blade but also severed 2 low-grade, second-tier magic treasures.

"Wretched fiend, cease your impudence!"

Witnessing the rampaging Metal-attuned Demon Spirit, the old clan leader bristled, his beard and hair standing on end. With a sweep of his hand, he activated the formation flags and unleashed the Crimson Gold God-Slaying Sword Aura.

A brilliant sword aura soared into the sky, its unparalleled sharpness repelling the sword embryo before cleaving directly toward the Gold Elemental Demon Spirit.

The demon spirit's eyes snapped open, actually withstanding this blow through its supernatural power.

He immediately activated the Divine Ability of Gengjin Golden Thunder. In an instant, the roar of thunder shook the heavens and the earth, crashing directly toward the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Boat. Clearly, he intended to eliminate these troublesome youngsters first.

However, the defensive power of the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Ark far exceeded its expectations. The group joined forces to activate the 6 Harmonies Divine Defense Array, blocking the Golden Metal Fiendspirit’s full-force strike.

"Die, fiend."

Seizing the opportunity, Lior (Person Name) who was piloting the Sky-Cleaving Boat activated the vessel's offensive divine ability.

Just as the raging Li Fire and the old patriarch’s Soul-Burning Li Fire closed in from both sides, they enveloped the Gengjin Monstrous Spirit together.

Having already withstood numerous attacks, the Golden Metal Demon Spirit's defensive supernatural power had significantly weakened. Now facing the assault of 2 types of Li Fire supernatural abilities, it finally could no longer hold out and was breached.

The Eldrin was inherently suppressed by Li Fire, and naturally dared not confront these flames head-on. It could only unleash its protective Yuan Gang and fight its way out with great difficulty.

At this moment, the Eldrin also knew it could no longer confront the group head-on, so it decided to retreat while fighting, engaging them in a war of attrition.

Just then, a thunderbolt tore through the heavens, striking directly from hundreds of thousands of miles away.

The Eldrin was caught completely off guard. Its protective spiritual aura shattered instantly, and a single blow obliterated nearly half of its body.

Yet Eldrin, wielding his various divine abilities and immortal swords, had already completely suppressed his Purple Palace, Mid Stage opponent. With strength to spare, he turned to aid the others.

He seized the moment with impeccable precision—just as the Eldrin of Geng Metal's defensive magic was shattered, sending it into a panicked flight.

This strike of Gengjin Divine Thunder proved instantly effective, severely wounding the Gengjin Spirit and obliterating nearly half of its form.

Suffering such a devastating blow, an ordinary Purple Mansion cultivator would likely have been rendered combat-ineffective. Yet the Gengjin Yaoling truly lived up to its reputation as the physically strongest of all yaoling, managing to struggle upright for 1 final stand.

"Perfect timing."

At the helm of the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Ark, Kael (Person Name) flashed a keen glint in his eyes, seizing the opportunity to activate the 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Sword Formation.

A brilliant sword aura descended from the heavens, striking squarely into the chest of the Metallic Demon Spirit. This 7 Stars Demon-Slaying Sword Aura was comparable to a full-force strike from a Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) expert. Against the completely defenseless Metallic Demon Spirit, it nearly tore its physical form asunder.

At this point, the Eldrin had completely lost its combat capability, and the Chen Clan cultivators naturally took the opportunity to beat a drowning dog, continuously unleashing their magical artifacts and supernatural abilities to annihilate it.

In merely 10 breaths' time, this powerful Zifu demon spirit fell under the combined assault of the crowd—a truly humiliating demise by any measure.

On the other end, the Mid Stage Golden Metal Demon Spirit of Purple Palace (Cultivation Realm) sensed danger and attempted to flee, but it was already too late.

Eldrin unleashed the Thunderous Blaze Sword and the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, 2 third-tier immortal blades, launching relentless assaults that forced his opponent into a desperate retreat, leaving them with only the capacity to parry.

"Roar——"

Seeing the crowd closing in, the Golden Metal Demon Spirit finally went berserk, desperate to escape with its life from Eldrin's grasp.

He first pushed his defensive divine ability to its absolute limit, forcibly withstanding the attacks from Eldrin's 2 immortal swords. Then, he summoned a low-grade, third-tier immortal sword and slashed toward Eldrin.

That low-grade third-tier immortal sword was forged from Western Extremity Geng Metal, its purity significantly surpassing that of the Taibai Geng Metal Sword Embryo—clearly an exceptionally superior third-grade precious metal.

As the sword descended upon him, Eldrin remained utterly unmoved, a faint smile even gracing his lips.

With a flick of his hand, he summoned a streak of silver immortal light. The Magnetic Treasure Bracer (Magic Treasure) soared into the air and instantly locked onto the Western Pole Genggold Sword.

Although the grade of the Magnetic Treasure Bracer (Magic Treasure) could not compare to the Western Pole Eldrin Metal Sword, it specialized in restraining all metal-attribute flying swords and magical treasures, making it the natural bane of the Western Pole Eldrin Metal Sword.

At this moment, driven by Eldrin's cultivation base, it indeed trapped the opponent's magical treasure, rendering it completely immobile.

Seeing the third-grade immortal sword trapped, the Golden Metal Fiend’s expression shifted abruptly. Without hesitation, it swiftly summoned Golden Metal Divine Thunder to strike the Magnetic Treasure Bracer (Magic Treasure), desperate to free its own immortal sword.

Little did he know that in this brief moment of hesitation, escape had become utterly impossible.

Eldrin raised his hand, astonishingly unleashing 2 divine abilities in the blink of an eye.

A golden divine thunderbolt and a blindingly brilliant sword radiance descended simultaneously, not only intercepting the Gold-Elemental Demon Spirit's mystic art but also causing its defensive technique to flicker dimly under the assault of the Blazing Heaven Sword.

Although third-order divine abilities possessed formidable power, they also consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy. If a First-Chamber Purple Mansion cultivator were to unleash them at full strength like this, their energy would likely be depleted in just a few moves.

Only Eldrin, with his exceptionally profound magic power and the additional 2-fold reserve stored within the Nen Water Azure Lotus Platform, dared to unleash his divine abilities so recklessly.

Seeing the divine ability take effect, Eldrin’s eyes instantly turned cold. As if by reflex, he summoned 2 immortal swords and slashed forward.

In the blink of an eye, Eldrin swiftly channeled his energy to drive the 2 immortal swords downward. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and the Thunderblaze Fire Sword finally proved their worth, shattering the heavily depleted defensive supernatural power.

Seeing his defensive supernatural ability shattered, the Golden Metal Demon Spirit’s expression abruptly changed. Realizing the dire situation, he abandoned his only third-grade immortal sword in panic. In his haste, he activated his protective primordial aura and attempted to flee into the distance.

But by then, the crowd had already closed in. Dozens of magical artifacts and divine abilities rained down upon him in a relentless onslaught.

Although most of those immortal swords and magical treasures were merely low-grade second-tier artifacts with limited potency, being struck by a dozen or so of them in succession had left it rather overwhelmed.

In just a few breaths, its protective Yuan Gang had already shattered, leaving it battered and bruised from head to toe.

Chapter 1: The Reborn Eldrin The air in the Netherworld Mountains was thick with the scent of blood and decay. A young man in tattered robes stumbled through the mist, his face pale as moonlight. This was Eldrin, once the most promising disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect, now a fugitive with shattered meridians. "Lina... Marcus..." he whispered, the names tasting like ash on his tongue. His former martial siblings—the very people who had pushed him off the Dragon's Back Cliff during what should have been his triumphant ascension. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his chest. The ancient jade pendant he had worn since childhood—a relic from his mysterious origins—began to glow with an unearthly light. Visions flooded his mind: a grand hall floating among clouds, a woman with silver hair practicing esoteric hand seals, and a devastating war that shattered the heavens themselves. When Eldrin awoke, he found himself in a simple bamboo hut. An old man with eyes like deep pools was preparing herbal medicine. "Your meridians were destroyed," the elder said without looking up. "But the Phoenix Blood Jade has chosen you. Fate works in mysterious ways." Over the following months, the old man taught Eldrin the Primordial Chaos Art. Unlike the cultivation techniques of his sect, which focused on harnessing spiritual energy from the environment, this ancient method taught him to generate his own power from within, cycling it through reconstructed meridians that shone like gold. "Remember," the elder warned as Eldrin prepared to leave, "the path of cultivation is long and fraught with peril. You have just reached the Foundation Establishment realm, yet your enemies have been practicing for thousands of years. Tread carefully." Eldrin's first test came sooner than expected. In a small town at the mountains' edge, he encountered a group of cultivators from the Blood Wolf Gang harassing a merchant. Their leader, a brute with a scar across his face, demanded 50,000 spirit stones as "protection money." "Step aside," Eldrin said, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of power that made the air hum. The gang leader laughed. "A crippled beggar dares to challenge us? Boys, teach him a lesson!" 3 thugs charged. Eldrin didn't even draw the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss strapped to his back. He simply raised a hand, and an invisible force sent the attackers flying through the air to crash against a nearby wall. The scarred leader's eyes widened. "Foundation Establishment realm! Impossible!" Eldrin advanced, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. "You have 3 breaths to leave. 1..." The gang members scrambled to their feet and fled, their leader shooting a venomous look over his shoulder. "This isn't over! The Blood Wolf Gang remembers its enemies!" The merchant bowed repeatedly. "Young master, thank you! But you've made dangerous enemies. The Blood Wolf Gang has over a 100 members, and their leader is said to be at the Golden Core stage." Eldrin merely nodded. "Some debts must be paid, regardless of the cost." As night fell, Eldrin meditated beneath a ancient oak tree, the moonlight washing over him like silver liquid. He contemplated the mysterious symbols that had appeared in his mind since the jade pendant activated—the Celestial Script, as the old man had called it. Each character seemed to contain profound truths about the nature of reality and the path to immortality. Suddenly, his spiritual sense detected approaching figures moving with the practiced stealth of seasoned cultivators. 5... no, 7... all at the Foundation Establishment realm like himself. The Blood Wolf Gang had come for revenge, and they had brought their elite. Eldrin opened his eyes, a faint golden light shimmering within their depths. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss hummed softly in its scabbard, as if eager for battle. The hunt was over. The hunt had just begun.