A savage and deranged light flickered in the eyes of the Azure Python King—madness and ruthless resolve blazing within them.
The moment it realized that even its Regeneration Life Aperture couldn't rapidly heal its severed body, it understood it was doomed on this battlefield. Unless it fled immediately, there was no way it would leave alive. The destructive power of Profound-grade divine abilities was simply too overwhelming—it could decide the entire outcome in an instant.
With no hope of survival, the Azure Python King hesitated no more.
Just before the war spear struck its body, its vital blood energy erupted violently. Disregarding the cost, it incited all its life force into a furious frenzy, unleashing an endless torrent of energy—trading life for power.
BOOM!!!
When its body swelled to the utmost limit, that mountain-like form exploded with a thunderous roar.
In that instant, all flesh and blood were pulverized, turning into a misty azure fog that surged outward like a tidal wave. Wherever it spread, the ground trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing outward at a visible pace.
Most terrifying of all, this azure mist caused all plant life to wither at astonishing speed, draining all vitality. Everything it touched was annihilated—reduced to nothing but ash.
"No! What is this stuff?"
"My body—what's happening?! Help!"
"Damn that Azure Python King! What's in this fog?! My life force is vanishing—I'm dying!"
"It's poison! It's lethal poison!"
The mist created from the Azure Python King's self-destruction was immense. But instead of being a typical explosive force, it was an extraordinarily lethal poison—its true terror lying not in its blast, but in its toxicity.
The azure mist corroded everything alive. Ogres, upon being enveloped, visibly withered, their flesh disintegrating into nothingness, leaving only gleaming white bones. The poison grew stronger as it consumed life, turning every victim into fertilizer for further spread.
This Life-Destroying Poison spared no one—ogres, gnolls, even snakes. As long as it was living, it was devoured. Curiously, dead corpses were untouched, seemingly immune to the toxin's hunger, lying harmlessly amid the fog—an eerie sight.
The Azure Python King's self-destruction was too sudden. Even its own allies—other alien forces—were engulfed.
Gnolls, ogres, and others screamed in agony as they fell, flesh rotting, bones exposed, utterly lifeless.
Worse still, the self-destruction happened at the very breach in the town wall. The poison mist flowed directly into the city. Countless soldiers, citizens, and even cultivators were swept up. Cries of despair rang out as their bodies dissolved within the fog, vitality stolen in moments.
It was terrifying beyond words.
Even those who used defensive talismans and barriers couldn't resist. The azure fog seeped through all defenses, rendering barriers useless. Once it touched the body, the victim would start to dissolve rapidly.
And the more lives it consumed, the denser and deadlier the mist became.
[Highlighted]
Life Aperture – Regeneration
Life-Destroying Poison
This azure mist was no ordinary poison—it was the innate venomous divine ability birthed from the Azure Python King's Regeneration Life Aperture. In self-destruction, it fused its poison sacs with every bit of its flesh, converting its entire being into Life-Destroying Poison.
This poison contained a terrifying trait: it could absorb the life force of any killed creature, turning it into fresh venom. As long as there was life to consume, it could expand infinitely, spreading like a plague—turning the region into a forbidden death zone.
"Damn that Azure Python King—completely insane! Even in death, it creates such indiscriminate poison. A lunatic!"
Even Scorpion Demon silently cursed.
But he dared not act recklessly.
His eyes were fixed on the black-clad figure before him. A chilling blade intent had already locked onto him. Even Scorpion Demon felt his heart race and a palpable sense of impending death creep in.
His gaze fell on the still-sheathed saber in Fu Hongxue's hand.
The blade remained in its scabbard, but a torrent of vital energy, spirit, and will was continuously pouring into it, condensing into an invisible, yet terrifying, blade intent.
Though unseen to most, Scorpion Demon could sense the terrifying force hidden within.
He was storing power.
With every step Fu Hongxue took, his momentum and essence poured into the blade.
The art of Draw Blade wasn't just about speed or frequency—it was about timing and location. Yes, a lightning-fast draw could be lethal, but that wasn't the core of the art.
Its true essence was in hiding the blade, building momentum, tempering the blade intent with the wielder's essence. And when finally drawn, it would explode with multiple times the original power—devastating, unstoppable.
The longer the buildup, the deadlier the slash.
At its peak, even space itself would shatter.
And Fu Hongxue had not drawn his blade since he saw Scorpion Demon.
Step by step, as he advanced, Scorpion Demon's sense of danger only intensified. He could feel the killer edge coiling like a dragon in the scabbard, waiting to be unleashed.
"I can't let him keep building that momentum, or I'm finished."
Scorpion Demon's eyes turned vicious. With the Azure Python King's suicide, the twin-headed ogre's strange death, the Frost Gnoll King's retreat, and the sky battle between Wind God Wyvern King and Golden Roc, things were spiraling out of control. The wind and golden storms clashed above, gradually steering the battlefield away from Xuanhuang Town, toward a nearby forest.
This massive invasion was unraveling.
Furious and alarmed, Scorpion Demon could no longer hold back.
"Kill!"
He lunged, his spear whipping forward like a venomous dragon. A savage spear intent erupted—sinister, ruthless. The strike was ferocious, a dragon lunging at Fu Hongxue.
"Slash!!"
Fu Hongxue's eyes flashed with murderous light.
The saber slid out inch by inch. Strangely, everyone could clearly see the motion—as if it were in slow motion. But in truth, the draw speed had already reached an inconceivable level.
As the blade emerged, a terrifying blade intent burst forth. The flash of light was blinding—no one could look directly at it. It felt like being stared at by a venomous snake—chilling to the core.
Though the blade wasn't fully drawn, its intent already pierced the heavens. The blood clouds overhead shattered.
Each inch of unsheathing deepened the power, pressure, and sharpness.
And the moment it was fully drawn, that blade intent soared to the peak of One-Tribulation Blade Intent, brushing the threshold of Two-Tribulation—unstoppable.
CRACK!!
A massive blade light, carrying peerless killing intent, cleaved forward at impossible speed.
On the battlefield, many cultivators saw a black venomous dragon roaring through the air—only to be met by an even larger saber slash.
A crisp sound followed. The black dragon was sliced in two like a helpless eel. The slash didn't slow—it continued forth with boundless force.
There was no word to describe the speed, hatred, and finality of this slash.
But in that moment, a jet-black scorpion tail struck—so sudden, so fast it seemed to cut through space itself—angled perfectly to evade the blade light.
BOOM!
The battlefield roared.
Scorpion Demon was sent flying, crashing into the ground. A layer of dark divine light had enveloped him at some point. It clashed with the blade intent and was shattered. Yet much of the blade's force was neutralized.
Still, a spray of blood erupted from Scorpion Demon as he hit the ground—wounded.