The invisible astral wind transformed into sharp blades and slashed at the towering Blood Sea, but achieved little. The astral wind had barely cut open the curtain of blood before more Black Blood surged over to fill the breach.
Song Changsheng's expression was grave. He raised the Treasure Gourd and took several fierce gulps, immediately erupting with even more majestic Spiritual Power. A massive phantom Bronze Bell appeared, releasing deep, resounding chimes.
The Blood Sea began to churn violently, even showing signs of rolling back.
Standing high above, Black Deacon gave a cold laugh and casually raised his right arm. A Blood River filled with the wails of vicious ghosts surged from his broad sleeve.
No one knew how many living beings this Blood River had devoured. Countless vengeful souls howled within it, and the piercing cries left everyone present faintly dazed.
"Splash!"
The Blood Sea crashed heavily against the phantom Bronze Bell with the force of ten thousand jun. In an instant, the bell's phantom shattered into points of light and dispersed.
"Pfft—"
Song Changsheng felt as though he had been struck by lightning. Sweetness flooded his throat, and he opened his mouth to spew out a cloud of Blood Mist.
"Changsheng?" Zhu Yiqun and the others' hearts tightened as they watched the injured Song Changsheng nervously.
Song Changsheng's sword brows stood sharply erect, while the blood at the Corner of his Mouth gave him a somewhat savage appearance. He took out a handful of Essence Recovery Pills and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing fiercely before stabilizing the array, which had been on the verge of collapse, once more.
Black Deacon raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "If it were the original Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array, this seat truly might have had no way of dealing with you. But now... it simply isn't enough!"
"Boom!"
With a thunderous blast, the Blood River that had shattered the phantom Bronze Bell transformed into a lifelike Blood-Colored Flood Dragon. Its enormous eyes, like Bronze Bells, glared as it slammed into the barrier formed from condensed Yang Qi.
The entire grand array shuddered violently. A tiny black spot immediately appeared on the barrier, and cracks began spreading outward from it like a spiderweb.
Song Changsheng gritted his teeth and poured all the Spiritual Power in his body into the grand array.
But this was all futile.
The Yang Qi gathered by the grand array was insufficient, and Song Changsheng's cultivation could not fully unleash the array's power. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the barrier shattered like a mirror.
"Roar—"
After breaking through the barrier, the Blood-Colored Flood Dragon threw back its head and released a piercing roar, as though proclaiming its existence to all directions.
Song Changsheng's face was deathly pale. The destruction of the grand array had caused him severe backlash.
"Hmph, devour them!" Black Deacon issued an order. The Blood-Colored Flood Dragon, stretching a hundred zhang long, immediately opened its bloody maw, seeking to swallow them all.
Though Song Changsheng was dispirited, he remained calm at the bottom of one's heart. Facing the overwhelmingly oppressive Flood Dragon, a Talisman had already appeared in his hand. This was his final trump card!
Before he could activate it, Zhuang Yuechan had already crushed the Jade Pendant in her hand ahead of him. A dark-blue Spiritual Power shield immediately enveloped them.
When the Blood-Colored Flood Dragon rammed into it, it only made the shield sway slightly.
Song Changsheng and the others' eyes widened. At that moment, their curiosity about Zhuang Yuechan's identity reached its peak.
Feeling everyone's gazes, Zhuang Yuechan gave a bitter smile. "This is a Talisman Treasure my master gave me for protection. It can last for, at most, the time it takes to burn one stick of incense. If reinforcements do not arrive by then, we really will perish here today."
The time it took to burn one stick of incense.
Song Changsheng and the others felt heavy-hearted. Though they had all sought help from their elders, this place was simply too far from the Market. Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators traveling at full speed would need quite some time. The situation was grim...
"Who exactly are these people? They actually have a Talisman Treasure!" Black Deacon was nearly losing his mind. He had been unable to take down a few Qi Condensation Cultivators for so long. If word got out, would people not laugh their teeth off?
Just as he was preparing to continue his fierce assault, a deep, icy voice drifted over from afar. "What a remnant of the demonic sect. You actually dared to arrange such a demonic array. You are simply courting death!"
"Who is it?" Black Deacon's heart jolted. He turned to look behind him and saw a golden rainbow light racing over from the horizon, swept across with boundless killing intent.
"I'm your Grandfather Niu!"
With an explosive shout, a burly figure appeared. He stood over nine chi tall, built like an ox, with a face full of flesh. The moment he appeared, he charged straight at Black Deacon on the hillside.
"White Bones Filling the Wild!"
Black Deacon held his hands aloft. Ghostly wails immediately rang out all around him, and the hillside beneath his feet transformed into a field of ghastly white bones, suffused with endless Death Qi. The surrounding vegetation rapidly withered, turning the area into barren wasteland.
"Fill your mother's ass!" the burly man cursed, swiftly closing in and swinging a fist as large as a sandbag at Black Deacon's face.
Black Deacon's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly raised a hand to block it and cried out, "You are not afraid of Death Qi?"
Responding to him was only a rain of fists as swift as afterimages, each punch heavier than the last. Black Deacon struggled to ward them off, gradually falling into a disadvantage.
Inside the barrier, Zhu Yiqun said in stunned disbelief, "He is completely unafraid of the Blood Demon's Death Qi. This senior's physical body must be comparable to a Spirit Artifact, right?"
"At this rate, that Blood Demon probably will not last even half an hour. This is practically a one-sided crushing."
This was Song Changsheng's first time witnessing a Body Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. He had not expected him to be so powerful. He was simply a humanoid Spirit Artifact; ordinary attacks could not harm him at all.
"Hahaha! Demonic brat, is this all you've got? Your Grandfather Niu has only just finished warming up." The burly man's laughter rumbled like thunder, filled with utter contempt.
Black Deacon shouted with an ugly expression, "Arrogant! Do not celebrate too soon—"
"I am fucking arrogant. Come beat me to death!" The burly man had no interest in listening to any more of his nonsense. One old fist smashed into Black Deacon's chest, breaking several of his ribs at once and sending his entire body Flying Backwards.
The burly man gave Black Deacon no chance at all. He rushed forward and unleashed a savage barrage, treating the dignified Foundation Establishment Late Stage Blood Demon as a humanoid punching bag.
Watching such a "brutal" scene, Zhu Yiqun scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. "This senior really is a man of temperament."
The corner of the mouth beneath Zhuang Yuechan's veil twitched slightly as well. This scene truly damaged her sect's upright image.
"You go too far!!" Black Deacon's eyes turned bloodshot, and his body rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, he became a blood-colored giant several zhang tall.
"You still refuse to submit?" The burly man glared, once again raising his fist. A faint golden light covered it, dyeing his fist a brilliant gold.
With one punch, the fist wind thundered like charging lightning.
Song Changsheng only saw a flash of golden light before the burly man's fist had already pierced through Black Deacon's heart.
Looking at the hole in his chest, Black Deacon's eyes were filled with disbelief. He gave the burly man a venomous glance, and cracks immediately began spreading across the surface of his enormous Blood Demon body. In the end, it turned into a pool of filthy blood.
A streak of blood shot into the sky and fled swiftly toward the horizon.
"You want to run right in front of your Grandfather Niu?" The burly man took a great stride and caught up with Black Deacon's soul in an instant. With one grasp of his hand, it was Annihilation of Body and Spirit!
Before you continue