Chapter 488 : A Demon Emperor's Final Stand

"My life ends here."

Yet, in that very instant, Eldrin Chen made his move. He unleashed the Two Polarities Divine Light, its radiance enveloping and locking down the supreme-grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. Then, he summoned the Trinity Divine Thunder, ending Blazing Fire Old Demon with a single, decisive strike.

Simultaneously, with the loss of the Solar Fire Banner, the Eight Trigrams Demon Refining Formation Flags collapsed on its own. Seizing the opportunity, the Bixia Demon Emperor broke free from its confinement.

Seeing the sword-light transformed from the Metallic Gold Demon-Slaying Sword Talisman slashing towards it, the demon emperor hastily channeled its innate tortoise shell to block, managing to intercept the killing blow that Nine Rivers True Lord had prepared for so long.

"It's over."

Witnessing their ultimate move fail, the hearts of the Human Race cultivators sank like stones.

Yet, in that same fleeting moment, a clear sword chime resonated through the air. A dazzling, peerless sword-light soared and cleaved directly towards the head of the Bixia Demon Emperor.

Having maneuvered on the periphery, Exquisite Jiang had finally seized the most critical opportunity. She now unleashed the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword, its blade aimed at the demon emperor's neck.

Already severely weakened, the Bixia Demon Emperor was caught completely off guard by this ambush. Faced with the strike from the Demon-Slaying Immortal Sword, it had almost no time to react before its head was severed by the sword.

"Aaaargh—!" Discover more cultivation stories at audio . novel . com.

The Bixia Demon Emperor let out a wretched shriek, its Infant Soul [the nascent spiritual core of a cultivator, capable of surviving the body's destruction] fleeing in panic, desperate to vanish into the depths of the void.

Yet Eldrin Chen, who had gone so far as to conceal his true strength even from Nine Rivers True Lord, a True Lord [a powerful cultivator who has mastered their chosen path] of the Human Race, would never allow such an easy escape.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Eldrin Chen summoned the Polarity Void Mirror. Its Void Escape [a mystical technique for traversing or manipulating space] flared, and in an instant, both the Infant Soul and the massive shell of the Bixia Demon Emperor were drawn into the treasure mirror's depths.

"It is done."

Having slain a Infant Soul Demon Emperor, Eldrin Chen allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. But the battle raged on, leaving no time for celebration. He immediately channeled his power, unleashing the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword as he shot back into the chaotic skies.

"How is this possible?"

In the span of a single breath, the Human Race forces had suddenly produced two additional combatants of True Lord caliber, catching the Demon Race utterly off guard.

Boulder Demon Emperor, the Young Master of Forgetful River, and their third companion wore identical expressions of stunned disbelief before instantly clashing with Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang.

Eldrin Chen surged toward the Young Master of Forgetful River, while Exquisite Jiang engaged the Boulder Demon Emperor. Seizing the opportunity, Nine Rivers True Lord unleashed his full power, firmly intercepting the Black-robed Cultivator.

"Where did these two come from?"

While fending off the relentless assault from Eldrin Chen, Young Master of Forgetful River revealed a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.

His face a mask of shock and fury, he turned his gaze towards Boulder Demon Emperor and couldn't help but send a frantic mental message: "The Human Race was hiding this trump card all along! Why did you have no intelligence about this?"

"I had no idea either,"

Boulder Demon Emperor replied, a note of panic creeping into his voice. The sudden turn of events made Eldrin's mind race with possibilities. It was clear their opponents had been unaware of their invitation to Young Master of Forgetful River and his Path Guardian.

Yet, despite this, they had concealed the presence of two True Lord-level combatants. This meant their goal was never merely the capture of a single Bixia Demon Emperor. From the very beginning, their sights were set on the entire Boulder Sea Region.

As this realization dawned upon him, Boulder Demon Emperor broke into a cold sweat, a profound sense of having narrowly escaped calamity washing over him, leaving his expression etched with lingering fear.

Seeing Boulder Demon Emperor visibly shaken, Exquisite Jiang seized the moment. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she raised her voice, declaring loudly, "Fellow Daoist Nine Rivers, hold on just a little longer! Violet Consort True Lord and Ethereal Mistress True Lord are already positioned on the periphery."

"Today, our net will close, and these three fiends shall be utterly annihilated!"

"Disaster!"

Boulder Demon Emperor's heart lurched. In that instant, he abandoned his duel with Exquisite Jiang without a second thought. He immediately summoned his escape light and shot into the distance, shouting urgently, "Both of you, flee now! We cannot wait for the Human Race to complete their encirclement!"

"You... you despicable rat!"

Watching as the Boulder Demon Emperor abandoned him and fled, the Young Master of Forgetful River was so furious his face turned green.

Yet, in that moment, a wave of belated fear washed over him. He was already being forced back step by step under Eldrin Chen's relentless assault. To continue fighting would likely lead to a disastrous outcome.

Most crucially, he knew nothing of the hidden techniques or trump cards that Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang might still possess. To fight blindly under such circumstances, only to lose his life through a careless misstep, would be the height of folly.

"Enough! To know your enemy and know yourself is the key to a hundred victories. I shall settle this score with you on another day!"

With this thought, the Young Master of Forgetful River let out a cold sneer, then decisively summoned a Escape Radiance [a radiant trail of light used for swift flight] and made his escape. Support the author by reading on www . audio-novel.com.

The Black-robed True Lord, seeing both his allies had fled for their lives, cast a regretful glance at the severely wounded Nine Rivers True Lord. Given just one more Shichen-time [a period of two hours], he was certain he could have finished off the crippled True Lord.

Alas, with his companions gone, staying behind alone now risked inviting calamity upon himself.

With no other choice, the black-robed old demon also transformed into a streak of bloody light and swiftly departed, following the Young Master of Forgetful River.

"After them!"

The group gave a half-hearted chase for a few moments before coming to a halt.

The other Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solidified Golden Core of spiritual energy] then seized the opportunity to slaughter the Golden Core Demon King [a powerful demonic beast with strength equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator], each wearing expressions of glee as they prepared to plunder the Spirit Island.

"Return swiftly,"

Nine Rivers True Lord summoned everyone back, then manifested his Fifth Rank Treasure Ship [a powerful enchanted vessel of the fifth rank], urging them to board the Treasure Ship with haste.

No sooner had they boarded the Treasure Ship than, just as the group was about to voice their questions, Nine Rivers True Lord coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen quickly added, "We were merely bluffing those three earlier. They will likely realize the truth soon enough."

Upon hearing this, a cold sweat broke out on everyone's brows. With Nine Rivers True Lord severely wounded and his Infant Soul Essence [the condensed spiritual essence of an Infant Soul cultivator] largely depleted, if that Infant Soul Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Infant Soul cultivation realm] black-robed old demon were to return, no one would be able to stop him.

This thought struck them, and they even abandoned any notion of looting the Fifth Rank Spiritual Vein [a vein of concentrated spiritual energy of the fifth rank] on Boulder Island, hastily urging the Fifth Rank Treasure Ship to speed back the way they came.

And indeed, that is precisely what happened. Not long after, the three Infant Soul [a cultivation realm where the cultivator's nascent soul has formed] fiendish demons realized the deception and immediately gave chase from behind.

Fortunately, their Fifth Rank Treasure Ship was exceptionally swift. For the three Infant Soul fiends to catch up was no easy feat.

Although the three Infant Soul [the stage of cultivation where the nascent soul is formed] demonic beasts gave chase several times, expending vast amounts of their spiritual power to close the distance, Eldrin Chen possessed the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of manipulating space]. With it, he could instantly teleport the treasure-laden vessel across a hundred thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] of void, ultimately shaking off their pursuit.

After fleeing for three full days, the group finally managed to escape back to the safety of Spirit Island.

Upon their return to Spirit Island, Nine Rivers True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator] invited Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang into a secluded chamber. Without preamble, he bowed deeply to them.

"Rise quickly, True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator]." Seeing him perform such a profound gesture of respect, Eldrin Chen swiftly moved to the side and reached out to lift him up. "You must not humble us so."

"You both are worthy of this bow," the True Lord insisted, his voice grave. "Had you not intervened, this old man would surely have met his end in that calamity."

"Had I and the elite forces of Nine Provinces Island all perished," Nine Rivers True Lord continued, a pale tinge of lingering fear coloring his expression, "the hundreds of millions of the Human Race on the island would have become mere sustenance, demonic blood-food. Therefore, this bow is also offered on behalf of all the Human Race of Nine Provinces Island."

"This..."

Hearing his words, Eldrin Chen offered no further protest and accepted the gesture with solemn grace.

Only after the formal bow was complete did Eldrin Chen step forward to help the True Lord rise, inquiring with concern, "How fares your injury, True Lord?"

"I fear the damage is severe..." he replied, his voice heavy with resignation.

At the mention of his injuries, Nine Rivers True Lord revealed a bitter smile, his expression filled with sorrow as he said, "This time, I was struck by the Blood Fiend Heart-Piercing Nail [a cursed nail that inflicts a festering, blood-corrupting wound]. I had no choice but to unleash my Infant Soul Essence [the condensed spiritual core of an Infant Soul cultivator] to fight with all my might."

"Now, the blood fiend miasma has invaded my organs, corrupting my body's vital essence and blood. Without sufficient Infant Soul Essence to suppress it, I fear in less than a hundred days, this old man's flesh will dissolve into a pool of pus and blood." For the best reading experience, visit audio~novel.com.