Xuan Tianyi casually raised his hand, unleashing a claw-like gesture that sent an overwhelming sense of dread cascading over all cultivators present. The heavens shook, the earth roared, and the vibrations reverberated in everyone's ears.
The cultivators from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm struggled to resist. Despite their formidable cultivation levels, they were insignificant in the face of Xuan Tianyi's raw power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth cracked and crumbled as if splitting apart at its very core. Torrents of demonic energy erupted like volcanic explosions, interwoven with countless bolts of lightning, coiling like serpents before converging in Xuan Tianyi's outstretched palm.
In that moment, Xuan Tianyi's presence peaked. His disheveled white hair danced wildly, his expression crazed and maniacal. He resembled a demon god reborn.
Lin Lu Ancestor steadied himself and quickly performed a series of hand seals. With a forceful push of his palms, a surge of energy erupted forward like a dragon emerging from the abyss, imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, entwined with wind and fire, surging across the shattered earth toward Xuan Tianyi.
Before this mighty surge of energy, everything seemed insignificant.
Xuan Tianyi raised his hand and intercepted the incoming torrent of wind and fire with a single palm strike. The ferocious tide split apart, sending countless fiery dragons scattering in all directions.
"Form the array! Exterminate the demon!"
Lin Lu Ancestor roared, his voice imbued with authority. The other Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators immediately leaped into action, retreating from Xuan Tianyi to reposition themselves.
Suddenly, a cloud of dust behind Lin Lu Ancestor dispersed as Xuan Tianyi appeared silently at his back, standing sideways. His crimson eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Without warning, Xuan Tianyi thrust a palm engulfed in demonic flames, piercing through Lin Lu Ancestor's chest in one swift motion. Blood spattered in all directions.
Lin Lu Ancestor's eyes widened in shock and anger.
Xuan Tianyi lifted his arm, still impaling Lin Lu Ancestor, and swung downward, slamming him into the fractured earth. He then proceeded to mercilessly thrash Lin Lu Ancestor's body like a ragdoll.
The horrifying scene sent waves of anxiety through the Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators. Even the grandmasters from other sects watching from a distance were paralyzed with fear.
Though the Fierce Demon didn't possess the monstrous size of the Great Demon Emperor or ancient demon beasts, his overwhelming aura was far more terrifying.
Lin Lu Ancestor's body suddenly dissolved into a mist of blood, reappearing dozens of miles away. His form was battered and drenched in blood, his robes shredded, stripped of his earlier dignity.
Xuan Tianyi emerged from the blood mist unscathed, raising his gaze to the heavens. From above, countless silver sword shadows descended like a torrential storm, engulfing him instantly. Dust rose in dense clouds, churning upward like a dragon devouring the skies.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground quaked violently under the relentless bombardment of sword shadows.
High in the sky, dozens of sword cultivators from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm floated in formation, their treasured swords hovering upright before them. The swords vibrated with piercing hums, sharp and menacing.
Witnessing the immense power of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm's sword formation, cultivators from all other sects retreated, wary of the battle's aftermath.
The disparity in cultivation levels was too vast. Even taking flight was a struggle for many; they were forced to expand the perimeter of their encirclement for safety.
Lü Baitian grabbed An Hao, swiftly retreating to a safer distance.
"Master, is there no hope left?" An Hao gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with emotion as he gazed at Lü Baitian.
The revelation of Xuan Tianyi's possession tore at his heart, filling him with profound despair.
Lü Baitian stared at the chaotic and terrifying battlefield in the distance, his voice solemn. "The priority now is to eliminate the demon!"
Elsewhere, Li Ya and Zhang Buku were also retreating. Their cultivation levels were too low to endure the oppressive might emanating from Xuan Tianyi.
"Li bro, there's no way we can muddle through this!" Zhang Buku whispered anxiously.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was incapable of containing the Fierce Demon.
Li Ya remained silent, his heart pounding in terror.
In his mind, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was the most powerful force in existence. With them leading the charge, their own burden should have been much lighter.
Yet, with the emergence of the Fierce Demon, the reality was far from his expectations. Even the mighty Seven Stars Spirit Realm was being overwhelmed.
In the sky above, Lin Lu Ancestor soared, summoning an array of mystical artifacts as he chanted incantations. He coordinated a renewed offensive against Xuan Tianyi.
How is this possible…? He shouldn't be this strong…
Lin Lu Ancestor trembled inwardly, his terror growing as he sensed Xuan Tianyi's power escalating continuously. The Fierce Demon seemed on the verge of breaking through to an even higher realm.
Beyond the Loose Immortal Realm!
In the vast network of the Six Star Caves, only one individual was known to have reached this level, and that person resided far from the continent.
After attaining the Immortal Path, most cultivators rarely remained on the mainland. Lin Lu Ancestor himself spent most of his time traversing the seas. Had his family not faced a crisis, he wouldn't have returned.
Before he could dwell further on his thoughts, a blade-like surge of demonic energy erupted from below the sword formation, scattering the formation with brutal force. Dozens of Seven Stars Spirit Realm sword cultivators coughed up blood as they were flung backward.
The demonic energy streaked through the sky like a razor-sharp blade, aiming straight for Lin Lu Ancestor.
Too fast!
Lin Lu Ancestor could barely react. Instinctively, he summoned his magical power to shield himself.
Boom—
The demonic energy engulfed him, piercing through the celestial cloud layers above and creating a massive gap. Sunlight poured through the breach, illuminating the battlefield below.
Lin Lu Ancestor's treasured artifacts were obliterated, and though he managed to survive, his body was left drenched in blood. His tattered form hung in the air, bereft of the composure he once held.
Though he was a Loose Immortal Realm cultivator at the eighth level, he was utterly powerless before Xuan Tianyi.
"Damn it…" he muttered, his voice filled with bitterness and despair.
Lin Lu Ancestor roared furiously as an overwhelming surge of spiritual power erupted from his body. The ground beneath him shattered further, and spiritual energy from the land surged skyward, forming a colossal canopy that blanketed an area of hundreds of miles. The grand display of energy obscured his figure entirely.
Xuan Tianyi suddenly appeared behind a Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivator. His right hand clamped down on the man's head, his movements so swift that the cultivator had no time to react, his face frozen in terror.
Before the man could even resist, Xuan Tianyi effortlessly extracted his soul. Opening his mouth, Xuan Tianyi swallowed the soul in one gulp. His right hand then released the lifeless body, which collapsed to the ground, utterly limp.
The scene struck terror into the remaining Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators, their courage crumbling as they scrambled to flee.
Xuan Tianyi vanished again, reappearing behind a female cultivator in an instant. Grasping her head, he repeated the process, consuming her soul as effortlessly as the first. These so-called Mahayana Realm experts stood no chance before him, unable even to defend themselves.
Boom!
A sudden, fierce gust of wind swept across the battlefield. Xuan Tianyi instinctively turned to look. From within the vast spiritual canopy overhead, streaks of green light emerged, forming towering phantoms armed with various mystical weapons. Each phantom stood hundreds of feet tall, their presence resembling divine soldiers from a celestial realm, radiating an unstoppable might.
In the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An sat at his desk, practicing calligraphy with a steady hand. His calm demeanor was in stark contrast to the chaos unfolding on the battlefield, but his divine sense was locked onto the scene.
Xuan Tianyi, now possessed by the Fierce Demon, was singlehandedly dominating the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. Even Lin Lu Ancestor, despite unleashing world-shaking divine techniques, failed to inflict any substantial harm on him. Meanwhile, Xuan Tianyi continued to devour souls, growing ever more formidable.
Gu An's senses picked up on the approach of ten more Loose Immortal Realm cultivators, their speed astonishing as they raced toward the battlefield from the northern seas.
"Reinforcements from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm," Gu An mused inwardly.
However, his thoughts were unsettled. "Something's strange. I can still sense traces of Xuan Tianyi's soul within him. This isn't a typical possession. Their union feels seamless, as if they were meant to be one…"
The peculiarity gnawed at Gu An's mind. Originally, he had planned to intervene as soon as the Fierce Demon broke free, but the involvement of Xuan Tianyi made the situation more complicated.
The Seven Stars Spirit Realm clearly intended to leverage the Fierce Demon's emergence to solidify its reputation as a sacred land while simultaneously using Xuan Tianyi's downfall to cripple the Tai Xuan Sect's public standing and power. The scheme was as cunning as it was vicious.
Yet, the Fierce Demon's rapid progression toward the Wandering Immortal Realm was undoubtedly outside their calculations. Lin Lu Ancestor's premature attack, forcing the Fierce Demon to break its seal, was a desperate move indicative of their lack of preparation.
The crux of the matter was Xuan Tianyi. His sudden transformation hinted at deeper, hidden truths.
Reflecting on Xuan Tianyi's meteoric rise, Gu An found it peculiar that his talents didn't align with what the Tai Xuan Sect typically nurtured. Furthermore, Xuan Tianyi had never sought to train in the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, instead choosing to journey southward for his cultivation.
Regardless of the mystery, Gu An had already resolved to save Xuan Tianyi. He couldn't sit idly by.
For now, however, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was trapped in its own gambit. Gu An saw an opportunity to use the Fierce Demon to weaken their influence and erode their aura of invincibility.
"They need to learn that even sacred lands have limits," Gu An thought coldly.
Through his divine sense, Gu An noted that Xuan Tianyi had deliberately spared Ji Xuanling, leaving her as the sole survivor among the Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators. His expression turned contemplative.
Besides Ji Xuanling and Lin Lu Ancestor, all other Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators had fallen, their souls consumed, leaving only lifeless husks behind.
With no one left to restrain him, Lin Lu Ancestor was now completely outmatched. Though they shared the same realm, Xuan Tianyi's dominance ensured Lin Lu Ancestor could only endure for so long.
Suddenly, Xuan Tianyi dove into the depths of the battlefield, vanishing into the earth. Moments later, the ten arriving Loose Immortal Realm cultivators descended onto the scene.
The battlefield, now a darkened wasteland, was obscured by swirling dust clouds. The broken land resembled the primordial chaos at the dawn of creation.
Lin Lu Ancestor surveyed the desolation around him and addressed the others gravely. "He's attempting to break through to the Wandering Immortal Realm!"
The declaration sent shockwaves through the ten Loose Immortal cultivators. Without needing further instruction, they dove headlong into the subterranean abyss, determined to pursue Xuan Tianyi.
Lin Lu Ancestor retrieved a pill and swallowed it before channeling his energy to heal his wounds mid-air.
His expression remained grim, his heart gripped by fear.
The Lin family had already suffered the loss of Lin Jingxian, one of its most gifted members in history. Now, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm's larger plan teetered on the brink of exposure. Lin Lu Ancestor had come to redeem himself, yet the strength of the Fierce Demon had derailed everything.
"How can this be…? A thousand years ago, the Fierce Demon had only just entered the Loose Immortal Realm. How has he grown so powerful now?" Lin Lu Ancestor's mind raced with doubt.
Then a chilling thought crossed his mind. Could someone be aiding the Fierce Demon?
His suspicion fell on Sword Master of Dao.
The Sword Master of Dao, capable of effortlessly slaying Loose Immortal cultivators, likely belonged to the Wandering Immortal Realm. Within the Six Star Caves, there was only one known Wandering Immortal cultivator, and they were far from the mainland. Without clarity on the Sword Master of Dao's true identity, Lin Lu Ancestor dared not act recklessly.
"Could the Sword Master of Dao be from a powerful overseas sect, here to sabotage the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?" His mind spiraled further.
He clenched his fists tightly. "We should never have allowed the Ephemeral Blossom Sect into our territory three hundred years ago!"
Bitterness consumed him as he thought of the fractured alliances within the Six Star Caves. Despite his family's influence, they couldn't dictate terms alone. Now, the Lin family bore the brunt of the consequences.
Meanwhile, the Tai Xuan Sect and allied forces had retreated nearly ten thousand miles away, their collective spirits crushed. The realization that only two Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators remained alive sent chills down their spines.
"Even the sacred land couldn't contain the Fierce Demon?"
"If not for the sacred land, we'd already be dead…"
"They're strong, but… their foundations seem lacking."
"Do we have no choice but to rely on the Sword Master of Dao again?"
"I bet the Sword Master of Dao will only intervene when the Fierce Demon nears the three dynasties' borders. We're utterly helpless without him…"
Whispers rippled through the ranks of cultivators. For the Tai Xuan Sect, however, the situation was more somber. The possession of Xuan Tianyi by the Fierce Demon had shattered their morale.
Lü Baitian stared into the distance, his expression dark and inscrutable. Beside him, An Hao had calmed somewhat, though his worry for Xuan Tianyi remained palpable. He had yet to connect Xuan Tianyi's fate with the schemes of the sacred land, instead clinging to hope for his survival.
But their hopes were dashed when an even more oppressive wave of demonic energy erupted from underground. Its sheer magnitude left everyone frozen in shock.