Chapter 709 : Alliance of Thunder and Blades

Yet in that fleeting instant, Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang exchanged a glance, a silent pact forged in the spark of shared understanding.

Witnessing Exquisite Jiang disengage from her own foe, she summoned several Superior Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts] to assail Blood-Refining Old Demon, while Eldrin Chen stood alone to face the onslaught of eight Blood Demon Avatar [demonic clones formed from condensed blood essence].

Though the Blood Demon Clone [demonic clones formed from condensed blood essence] were numerous, lacking formidable Demonic Treasure [powerful artifacts forged with demonic energy] in their grasp, their assault could not breach the Impenetrable [unyielding] defense of Eldrin Chen's Dual Polarity Treasure Lotus.

With Exquisite Jiang's timely intervention, Nyssa Qu finally caught a moment's respite. Raising her hand, she unleashed the Nine Dragon Wheel, its form splitting into nine sinuous flood dragons that descended with lethal fury upon the eight Blood God Avatar [avatars of a blood deity, possessing immense power].

Bolstered by the Quasi-Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure [a treasure approaching the legendary power of the primordial sun] Nine Dragon Wheel, Eldrin Chen felt the immense pressure upon him lessen considerably.

"BOOM—"

Seizing the opening, Eldrin Chen summoned the Two Polarities Divine Thunder [a divine lightning technique harnessing opposing cosmic forces]. He directed its fury at one of the Blood Demon Clone. Empowered by the dual essences of Heavenly Flame [a celestial fire of immense purity] and True Water [water in its most primordial and potent form], the thunder's might was magnified not tenfold, but far beyond.

A cataclysmic detonation echoed, reducing one Blood Demon Clone to ashes. The residual shockwave grievously wounded two more.

Without pause, he struck again. The Celestial Abyss Twin Swords became a crisscrossing storm of blade-light, and within the span of thirty-some exchanges, two more Blood Demon Clone were severed and dispelled.

"Damnation!" Dive deeper into the Dao at audio novel.com.

Witnessing three of his painstakingly cultivated Blood Demon Clone [a clone formed from condensed blood essence and demonic power] being destroyed in such a short span, the Blood-Refining Old Demon could no longer remain idle.

Hailed as the foremost Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who cultivates using demonic arts and energies] in the Eastern Region Great Wasteland, the Blood-Refining Old Demon derived sixty percent of his combat prowess from the Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Divine Blade, another ten percent from his Blood Demon Clone, with the remaining thirty percent stemming from his collection of Demonic Treasure [enchanted artifacts infused with demonic energy] and his Half-Step Primordial Spirit [a transitional state between the Infant Soul and Primordial Spirit realms] cultivation base.

Now, with the Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Divine Blade proving ineffective and his Blood Demon Clone clearly outmatched by Eldrin Chen, a trace of solemn gravity finally colored his expression.

"Damn that Nine Dragons Pool and its formidable Formation [a structured arrangement of energy nodes and patterns used for defense, attack, or cultivation]! It drained too much of the divine blade's power, otherwise this wouldn't be so troublesome!"

The Blood-Refining Old Demon wore a mask of fury. To breach the Quasi-Sixth Rank Formation [a defensive formation approaching the power of a Sixth Rank formation] guarding the Nine Dragons Pool, he had been forced to unleash two slashes with the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Demon Saber, exhausting the majority of the energy it had accumulated.

This was an unavoidable necessity. The Nine Dragons Pool was anchored by a Fifth Rank High-Grade Spiritual Vein [a high-quality vein of earth energy suitable for Fifth Rank cultivation] and protected by a Quasi-Sixth Rank Formation laid down by Eldrin Chen using the Nine Dragon Wheel. Furthermore, the formation was being actively maintained by Nyssa Qu, who had reached the Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the pinnacle stage of the Infant Soul realm].

The defensive might of such a Mountain Protection Formation [a large-scale defensive formation designed to protect a mountain or sect] was immense. Short of a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has fully ascended to the Primordial Spirit realm] arriving in person, even a Half-Step Primordial Spirit existence could not hope to breach it easily.

Worried about wasting too much time, the Blood-Refining Old Demon had no choice but to deploy the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Demon Saber to shatter the formation.

He had assumed that once the formation fell, capturing the mere Nyssa Qu would be a simple matter. However, as a Mythical Immortal Seed [a being born with an innate connection to immortal energies and profound potential], her bloodline was no weaker than that of a True Dragon [a supreme dragon species], making her far from an easy target.

At the critical moment, Nyssa Qu relied on her Primordial Solar Divine Ability [a supreme ability harnessing the power of the primordial sun], 'Seven-Colored Immortal Light' [a radiant technique of seven hues], to engage him in battle. In the end, she managed to seize an opportunity and escape from the Nine Dragons Pool.

This was still due to Nyssa Qu's cultivation base being insufficient. If Nyssa Qu possessed the cultivation of a Half-Step Primordial Spirit [a cultivator whose spiritual core is halfway to its primordial form], her Seven-Colored Immortal Light [a radiant, seven-hued defensive and offensive technique] alone would likely be enough to contend with his Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Divine Blade [a demonic blade forged and empowered through blood sacrifice].

"You all deserve death!"

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Blood-Refining Old Demon finally revealed a trace of anxiety.

He opened his mouth and spewed forth a cloud of bloody vapor, unleashing his final trump card. It materialized into a Blood Banner [a sinister banner woven from blood and malice] which he hurled towards the group.

"Beware! It's the Blood-Refining Banner [his signature banner, capable of refining blood and corrupting spiritual artifacts]!"

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted slightly. Forgoing the chance to finish off the remaining five Blood Demon Clone [clones formed from condensed blood and demonic energy], he immediately summoned his Celestial Abyss Twin Swords and slashed towards the oncoming Blood-Refining Banner.

That Blood-Refining Banner was Blood-Refining Old Demon's life-bound Demonic Treasure [a magical artifact intimately connected to a demonic cultivator's life force], its grade having reached the level of a Quasi-Pure Lunar Demonic Treasure [a demonic artifact approaching the purity and power of artifacts aligned with the supreme lunar principle].

This artifact was supremely adept at corrupting the spiritual nature of Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts used by orthodox cultivators]. Even treasures like the Nine Dragon Wheel and the Dual Polarity Treasure Lotus, which were Quasi-Primordial Solar Spiritual Treasure [spiritual artifacts approaching the purity and power of artifacts aligned with the primordial solar principle], would be suppressed by it. Neither Exquisite Jiang nor Nyssa Qu possessed a means to counter it.

Only Eldrin Chen's Heavenly Flame Magical Power [a purifying flame technique of celestial origin] showed no fear of it; on the contrary, it exerted a powerful restraining effect upon the banner.

As Eldrin Chen channeled his Heavenly Flame Magical Power into the twin swords and launched a relentless assault on the Blood-Refining Banner, he actually forced the sinister banner into a steady retreat.

Even his most powerful Demonic Treasure [a cultivator's most intimately bound and potent magical artifact] proved ineffective. Blood-Refining Old Demon finally lost the means to shatter the three opponents in a single decisive strike.

After all, among the trio, although Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang possessed slightly weaker cultivation bases, their Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a treasure grown and nurtured within a cultivator's body, sharing their life force] and Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power mastered through profound cultivation] were exceptionally formidable. Their combat prowess already approached that of the Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the pinnacle stage of the Infant Soul cultivation realm].

As for Nyssa Qu, she was even more remarkable. At her peak, she alone was sufficient to contend against two Great Perfection of Infant Soul cultivators, her strength ranking among the very finest of her tier.

Although she was now severely wounded, Blood-Refining Old Demon had not emerged from shattering the Nine Dragons Pool completely unscathed either.

Now, with the three joining forces, even the Blood-Refining Old Demon's Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Divine Blade [a demonic divine blade forged through blood refinement] could no longer run rampant. He finally found himself unable to overcome the trio.

After more than one hundred exchanges, Nyssa Qu finally seized an opportunity. Summoning her remaining strength, she unleashed a blindingly brilliant Seven-Colored Immortal Light [a divine ability manifesting as a radiant light of seven colors] directly at Blood-Refining Old Demon. For the best reading experience, visit (audio-novel.com).

Caught off guard, the Blood-Refining Old Demon hastily activated a Divine Ability to block it. Though he succeeded, the impact forced him to cough up blood, leaving him with a significant injury.

"Aaaargh—!"

With a roar of fury, Blood-Refining Old Demon fixed a gaze of pure hatred upon them. Yet, he understood that continuing the fight now would likely yield no advantage. Gnashing his teeth in resentment, he fled with his five Blood Demon Clone [clones formed from condensed demonic blood essence] in tow.

"Huff..."

Having repelled the Blood-Refining Old Demon, everyone present heaved a profound sigh of relief.

Despite her grievous wounds, Nyssa Qu immediately offered a deep bow to Eldrin Chen, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she spoke, "This humble one offers her deepest gratitude to you both for saving my life."

"There is no need for such formalities,"

Eldrin Chen replied with a gentle smile, helping her to her feet.

After a glance at Nyssa Qu's injuries, he handed her a healing elixir [a mystical pill that accelerates recovery from wounds and replenishes vital energy] before continuing, "This is no place for conversation. Let us depart first."

"Agreed."

Nyssa Qu gave a firm nod.

Mindful of Nyssa Qu's unique circumstances, Eldrin Chen first meticulously erased all traces of Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural technique born from profound cultivation] from the battlefield. He then activated the Great Deduction Polarity Stars Path to shroud their Celestial Mechanism [the mystical patterns of fate and destiny, often used in divination] from prying eyes. Only then did he lead the two onto their flying vessel, which soared deep into the void.

They soon left the site of the conflict far behind, arriving within the depths of a dense forest in the Great Wasteland.

It was only then that Eldrin Chen finally allowed himself to relax. He turned to Nyssa Qu and asked, "How did you come to cross blades with that Blood-Refining Old Demon?"

"This misfortune is simply my ill fate," she murmured, her voice heavy with resignation.

At the mention of Blood-Refining Old Demon, a flicker of anguish passed through Nyssa Qu's eyes.

It turned out that after failing his breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm, the Blood-Refining Old Demon had been desperately searching for any method to increase his chances of a successful Primordial Spirit ascension.

Though Nine Dragons Pool had re-emerged into the world and was not completely isolated, it could not remain hidden from those who sought it with purpose. Eventually, its existence drew the attention of the Blood-Refining Old Demon.

Upon discovering the anomaly of Nine Dragons Pool, the Blood-Refining Old Demon could scarcely contain his wild elation and immediately took action.

As Nyssa Qu, a Mythical Immortal Seed [a being of immense spiritual potential born from a legendary origin] of the Seven-Colored Immortal Clam [a mythical clam demon beast], her life-bound immortal pearl could significantly bolster his chances of a Primordial Spirit breakthrough. Naturally, he would not let such a prize slip away.

To prevent any complications, the Blood-Refining Old Demon unleashed his Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Divine Blade [a demonic blade that refines the blood and essence of its victims] from the very first move. With merely two strikes, he shattered the Mountain Protection Formation [a defensive array that shields a mountain or territory] guarding Nine Dragons Pool.

Fortunately, Nyssa Qu possessed formidable strength and managed to escape from the depths of Nine Dragons Pool. This delay provided the crucial window for Eldrin Chen to arrive and intervene.

After recounting the entire chain of events, Nyssa Qu spoke again, her face streaked with tears. "My poor sisters... their fate is most likely sealed by now."

"Had you not risked your life to save me, young master, I fear I too would have met my end here today." Experience the full epic at (audio-novel.com).