Chapter 488 Calamity, Blackmailing the Yaomo(Enemy)

"My life is at its end."

But in that very instant, Eldrin suddenly made his move. He summoned the Primordial Yin-Yang Light to envelop and trap that peerless magic treasure, then invoked the Tri-Power Divine Thunder to swiftly eliminate the Flame Demon Elder.

In the same moment, after losing the Li Fire Flag, the Baxia Demon Emperor finally broke free from his confinement.

Watching the golden sword light transformed by the Gengjin Demon-Slaying Sword Talisman slash toward it, the creature hastily summoned its innate turtle shell to block. To everyone’s astonishment, it managed to intercept the trump card Lord Jiuchuan had long prepared.

"It's over."

Seeing their trump card fail to take effect, the crowd of human cultivators felt their hearts sink abruptly.

But in that very instant, a sword’s keen cry pierced the air. A dazzling sword radiance soared through the sky, striking directly at the head of the Baxia Demon Emperor.

Lyra lingered on the periphery for a long while before seizing the pivotal moment. With a swift motion, she summoned the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword, directing its gleaming edge straight toward the skull of the Baxia Demon Emperor.

The Tyrant Tortoise Demon Emperor, already severely weakened, was caught completely off guard by this sudden ambush. Before he could even react to the strike of the Refining Demons Immortal Slaying Sword, his head was severed in 1 swift blow.

Ah.

The Tyrannical Bixia Demon Emperor let out a wretched scream as his Nascent Soul frantically fled from his body, desperately attempting to vanish into the depths of the void.

Yet Eldrin, who had even deceived True Monarch Jiuchuan—a renowned human cultivator—to conceal his true strength, would never allow him to escape so easily.

With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, Eldrin summoned the Mirror of Yin, Yang, and Void through the void, drawing both the Bixia Demon Emperor's nascent soul and tortoise shell into the treasure mirror.

It is done.

After slaying a Nascent Soul realm demon emperor, Eldrin breathed a sigh of relief. Yet with the battle raging urgently around him, he had no time to savor the triumph. Immediately summoning the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, he soared into the skies.

"How is this possible?"

In the span of a single breath, 2 True Monarchs suddenly emerged among the human race, catching the demon tribes completely off guard.

The Stone-Serene Demon Emperor, Lorcan of the Lethe (Person Name), and the other 2 all wore expressions of stunned disbelief, then instantly crossed blades with Eldrin (Person Name) and Lyra (Person Name).

Eldrin charged toward Lorcan of the Lethe, while Lyra launched her assault against the Stone-Sinew Demon Emperor. Seizing the opportunity, True Monarch Jiu Chuan unleashed his full power to intercept the black-robed cultivator.

"Why are there 2 extra people?"

While fending off Eldrin's assault, Lorcan of the Lethe wore a guarded expression.

His face twisted with shock and fury as he glared at the Rock Demon Emperor, unable to resist sending a covert message: "The humans have been hiding this trump card all along—how could you have no intelligence about it?"

"I do not know either."

The Boulder Demon Emperor also grew flustered. The sudden turn of events made Eldrin think of many things at once—it was clear their opponents had no knowledge of their invitation to Lorcan of the Lethe and his guardian.

In such circumstances, the opposing side had concealed 2 True Lord combatants—clearly, their goal was never merely the Bixi Demon Emperor, but from the very beginning, they had been targeting him.

At this thought, the Rock Demon Emperor broke out in a cold sweat down his back. Feeling as though he had narrowly escaped calamity, a look of lingering fear surfaced on his face.

Seeing that the Rockfiend Emperor seemed intimidated, Lyra (Person Name) had a sudden inspiration and declared in a ringing voice, "Hold on a little longer, Fellow Daoist Jiu Chuan! True Monarch Zi Ji and True Monarch Ling Xu are right on the periphery."

"Today we shall close the net and eradicate these 3 fiends completely!"

"Not good!"

The Stone-Serpent Monarch’s heart lurched. In that instant, he abandoned his duel with Lyra (Person Name), immediately summoning an escape radiance to flee. “Run, both of you! We cannot let the humans encircle us!” he shouted urgently.

"You... filthy rat!"

Watching the Boulderon Demon Emperor abandon him and flee, Lorcan of the Lethe’s face turned livid with rage.

But at this moment, a wave of trepidation washed over him. He was already being driven back relentlessly by Eldrin's assault, and continuing this fight would likely lead to disastrous consequences.

Most crucially, he knew nothing of Eldrin and Lyra's methods, nor whether the duo still held other hidden cards. To continue fighting blindly under such circumstances—if he were to carelessly lose his life, it would be a truly unjust fate.

"Very well. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you shall win every battle. Another day, young master shall return to settle this score!"

At this thought, Lorcan of the Lethe (Person Name) let out a cold laugh and declared, then decisively summoned his escape light and fled without hesitation.

The black-robed True Monarch watched as the 2 had already fled for their lives. He cast a regretful glance at the severely wounded True Monarch Jiu Chuan. Given just 1 more quarter of an hour, he would undoubtedly have been able to slay the heavily injured True Monarch Jiu Chuan.

Unfortunately, both of them had already fled for their lives. If he stayed behind alone, he might end up facing calamity instead.

Left with no choice, the old fiend in black robes also transformed into a crimson streak and swiftly departed, following Lorcan of the Lethe (Person Name) in haste.

"After them!"

The crowd gave a half-hearted chase for a brief moment before coming to a halt.

The other Golden Core cultivators seized the opportunity to slaughter the Golden Core demon kings, their faces alight with glee as they prepared to plunder the spirit islands.

"Return at once."

Lord Jiuchuan summoned everyone back and then produced a fifth-tier treasure ark, urging them to swiftly board the vessel.

Just as they boarded the treasure ship, before the crowd could voice their questions, True Lord Jiuchuan coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

Seeing this, Eldrin (Person Name) hastily added, "We were merely bluffing those 3 earlier. They'll likely realize it soon enough."

Hearing this, everyone felt cold sweat beading on their brows. With True Lord Jiuchuan severely wounded and his Nascent Soul Qi (Spiritual Root) nearly depleted, should that black-robed old demon—a Nascent Soul, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) expert—return, none would be left to oppose him.

With this thought in mind, everyone immediately abandoned any intention of plundering the Fifth-Order Spirit Vein of Boulder Island and hastily urged the Fifth-Order Treasure Ark to speed back.

Indeed, that was exactly what happened. Before long, the 3 Yuanying-level demons snapped back to their senses and immediately gave chase from behind.

Fortunately, Eldrin's fifth-tier treasure vessel was exceptionally fast, making it difficult for the 3 Eldrin (Person Name) Nascent Soul demonic beings to catch up with them.

Although the 3 Nascent Soul demons had expended immense magical power to catch up several times, Eldrin possessed the Mirror of Yin, Yang, and Void, enabling him to instantly teleport the treasure vessel 1 100 1000 miles through the void, ultimately shaking them off.

And so they ran for 3 days straight, until they finally managed to flee back to the spirit island.

After returning to the spirit island, True Lord Jiuchuan invited Eldrin and Lyra to a secret chamber, where he directly bowed to them with a deep, respectful salute.

"Rise quickly, True Lord." Seeing Eldrin (Person Name) performing such a grand gesture, he swiftly sidestepped and moved to help the man up. "You must not overwhelm us with such excessive courtesy."

"You 2 are worthy of this bow. Were it not for your timely assistance, Fellow Daoists, this old man would have perished in this tribulation."

“Had you not arrived, this old man and all the elite forces of Kyushu Island would have perished, and I fear the hundreds of millions of humans on the island would have become sustenance for the demons.” True Lord Jiuchuan spoke with a pale face, his voice tinged with lingering fear. “Thus, this bow of gratitude is also offered on behalf of all humanity of Kyushu Island.”

"This..."

Hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) said no more and accepted the salute.

After he had finished paying his respects, Eldrin helped him up and asked, "How do you feel after taking the medicinal fungus? Has your injury improved?"

"I'm afraid it's unlikely..."

Hearing him mention the injury, True Lord Jiuchuan revealed a bitter smile, his expression deeply troubled as he said, "After being struck by the Blood Malice Heart-Piercing Nail this time, I had no choice but to unleash my Nascent Soul Qi (Spiritual Root) and fight with all my might."

"Now that the blood-fiend energy has invaded my organs, and my physical essence has been corrupted, without sufficient Nascent Soul Qi (Spiritual Root) to suppress it, I'm afraid in less than 1 100 days, this old man's body will dissolve into a puddle of putrid blood."

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of blood and decay. A young man in tattered blue robes knelt amidst the snow, his breathing ragged. Crimson stained the pure white ground around him, a stark contrast to the pale complexion of his face. "Lin Ming (Person Name), hand over the Heavenly Crystal (Cultivation Resource), and I might grant you a swift death," a voice, cold and sharp as a dagger, echoed from the shadows of the towering pine trees. Lin Ming raised his head, a trace of defiance flickering in his eyes despite his grievous wounds. "Elder Bai (Person Name), you covet this treasure so much that you'd betray the sect and ambush your own disciple?" A gaunt, middle-aged man in grey robes emerged from the trees, his expression sinister. In his hand, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) glowed with a malevolent red light. "Foolish boy! That crystal contains spiritual energy enough to elevate 1's cultivation by leaps and bounds. In this world, strength is the only truth. Hand it over!" Suddenly, a faint, ancient voice, seemingly originating from the crystal hidden against Lin Ming's chest, resonated directly in his mind. "Boy, concentrate your remaining spiritual power into your right palm. I shall teach you the first move of the 9-Layered Heaven Devouring Art (Cultivation Method)." Hope, fierce and desperate, ignited within Lin Ming. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain throughout his body, and focused every last bit of his Qi. Elder Bai sneered, raising his sword. "Since you seek death, I shall oblige!" A torrent of fiery sword energy, capable of melting iron, shot towards Lin Ming. "Now!" the ancient voice commanded. Lin Ming's right palm shot forward. A dark, swirling vortex, small at first but rapidly expanding, appeared before him. It devoured the fiery sword energy in an instant, the roaring flames vanishing into its depths without a trace. "What?!" Elder Bai's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "This... this is impossible! That's a legendary devouring power! You... what have you done?!" Lin Ming stood up slowly, his body wracked with pain but his gaze steady. A mysterious, profound aura began to emanate from him. "Elder Bai," he said, his voice low but clear, "it seems this disciple will have to disappoint you today." The dark vortex continued to spin silently before him, as if it could consume the very world.