Slaying an Innate Realm Middle Stage fish demon. Lifespan gained: 817 years.
Gu Cheng glanced at the record on the panel, and felt a little more at ease.
Though the process had been somewhat complicated, the lifespan of this Innate Realm fish demon had ultimately fallen into his hands.
Meanwhile.
Bai Xingqiu was stunned by Gu Cheng's outrageously imposing entrance.
He sized up Gu Cheng's disguised appearance, rapidly recalling all the notable figures in Chongshan County, but couldn't find anyone who matched.
Since when had Chongshan County gained a figure like this?
A trace of solemnity crossed Young Master Bai's handsome face, but he didn't dare let his guard down.
He folded his fan and politely cupped his hands toward Gu Cheng, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
"I am Bai Xingqiu. May I ask your esteemed name?
If you have no intention of making an enemy of the Bai family, please be magnanimous and leave."
Though the other party was a fox demon in human form, this fellow's scholarly air seemed genuine rather than put on.
"Hmph. You've learned to talk like a human, but you don't know how to act like one."
Gu Cheng sneered inwardly, but couldn't be bothered to waste words on him.
Without even glancing at Bai Xingqiu, he looked toward the red-scaled fish demon's corpse and reached out.
A fist-sized, crystal-clear blue demon core drifted slowly from the headless fish corpse, as though drawn by some unseen force, and landed in his hand.
Gu Cheng gave it a casual glance, then put the Innate Demon Core into his storage pouch.
Such blatant disregard for the fox demon was nothing short of total contempt!
"How dare you!"
Bai Xingqiu was so furious his eyes nearly bulged. His eyes turned into scarlet beast pupils, and demonic baleful energy surged around him, billowing into tangible black mist.
He sprang into the air and flicked his fan.
Eight talismans streamed from his sleeves in succession, weaving together into a massive Bagua formation in midair.
Demonic energy swirled over the talismans, and a blazing fireball nearly three zhang across instantly took shape.
Like a Gaia energy cannon, it radiated suffocating heat as it crashed down toward the black-clad young man below!
Faced with the enormous fireball crashing down like the sun itself, Gu Cheng's expression didn't change. He didn't even blink.
He slowly raised his right hand. True Qi surged in his palm, forming an invisible, mirror-like barrier before him.
—Total Counterattack!
The gigantic fireball slammed down with a roar. Terrifying waves of heat swept outward, the lake boiled in an instant, and steam billowed into the sky!
Yet the scorching heat, powerful enough to melt refined steel, couldn't so much as budge Gu Cheng.
The instant the fireball touched the barrier, it bizarrely changed direction and rebounded even faster than it had come, hurtling straight toward Bai Xingqiu in midair!
"What kind of wicked sorcery is this?!"
Seeing his demon spell reflected back at him, Bai Xingqiu knitted his brows.
He didn't dare delay. His fan whipped through the air, talismans scattered like rain, and his lips moved in an incantation.
Ssshh—
The lake churned and burst apart. Its waters formed pressurized jets that carried a fierce wind, intercepting the roaring fireball head-on.
Flaming droplets scattered through the sky. Heat surged, steam billowed, and the entire lake seemed to boil.
Bai Xingqiu stood proudly behind a curtain of water, his robes fluttering, bearing a faint air of an immortal.
He pointed his fan, and dozens of water jets gathered once more. Like pear blossoms in a storm, they shot toward Gu Cheng from every direction, sealing off all his escape routes!
Judging by the imposing force of this killing move alone, Young Master Bai's water-controlling demon arts were even stronger than those of the red-scaled fish demon!
But against a cheat who'd eaten the demon cores of several water demons, it was hardly worth mentioning.
Snap—
Gu Cheng lightly snapped his fingers, activating his water-control ability. An invisible ripple silently spread outward...
In an instant, it was as if time had frozen.
The raging water seemed pinned in place by an invisible giant hand. It stopped in midair, turning into rows of crystal-clear water columns—strange and beautiful.
Gu Cheng opened his palm and curled his fingers.
The suspended water twisted and warped along with his hand, finally gathering into a gigantic water serpent, a zhang thick. It opened its gaping maw and turned to lunge at the fox demon of the Bai family!
"How can he control water too?"
Bai Xingqiu was even more horrified. He hurriedly took out a silver bell and gave it a gentle shake.
Fueled by demonic baleful energy, the bell's clear chime rang out with visible ripples of sound, spreading in an instant.
The gigantic water serpent opened its maw to bite, but the bell's chime struck it. Its enormous body exploded with a thunderous crash, scattering into a rain of water.
Bai Xingqiu didn't dare relax for a moment. He shook the silver bell faster and faster.
The unbroken chimes rose and fell like a mournful song, carrying a soul-seizing magic as they swept toward the black-clad young man.
Second Young Master Xu, trapped in the water prison, took the brunt of it. Already imprisoned, he was struck by the chimes and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented. Clearly, his mind was under attack.
Yet the black-clad young man seemed not to hear the eerie chimes. Instead, a mocking smile curled his lips.
"Hmph. Compared to Ximen Yu's 'Illusory Demonic Sound,' that fox demon of the Bai family has some truly childish illusions."
Gu Cheng snorted, took out Withered Wood Dragon's Roar, and lightly plucked a string with his long, pale fingers.
"Zheng—"
A clear, ringing note descended as if from the Ninth Heaven, instantly overpowering the eerie bell chimes.
The note carried a calming, centering power, utterly at odds with Bai Xingqiu's demonic baleful energy.
The two forces collided with a violent boom, sending waves of air surging outward. The lake boiled in an instant!
Bai Xingqiu felt an overwhelming assault on his mind rush toward him. The silver bell in his hand gave a strained "crack," and a web of fractures appeared across it.
The impact sent his blood and qi surging. His throat turned sweet, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Who the hell is this kid?
How the hell can he do everything?!"
Bai Xingqiu forced down the metallic taste in his throat and stared at the black-clad young man standing with his hands behind his back, his mind in utter turmoil.
The fox demon clan had always been known for their mystery and myriad supernatural abilities.
But what was going on now?
The black-clad young man before him had used more varied techniques than he had—and every one had been more powerful!
"Damn it, which of us is the real fox demon?!"
Just as Young Master Bai began questioning his very existence, a bone-chilling cold suddenly crept over him, as if he'd plunged into an ice cellar.
Splash—
The lake's surface exploded. A razor-sharp blade of water, bearing the force of ten thousand jun, shot straight for his back like a striking viper!
"Not good!"
Bai Xingqiu's pupils contracted. He recognized at once the terrifying sword art that had slain the red-scaled fish demon, and didn't dare take it head-on.
At the critical moment, he had no time to think. He pulled a treasured jade pendant from his robes and crushed it with all his might.
The pendant shattered, transforming into a dazzling barrier of light that shielded Bai Xingqiu completely.
The next moment, the water blade slammed into the barrier. Sword Qi surged, and a deafening boom echoed across the entire lake.
Bai Xingqiu grunted and flew backward like a broken kite. He had narrowly escaped disaster, but his face was as pale as paper.
His once-dashing white robe had been shredded by the lingering Sword Qi, leaving him as tattered and miserable as a beggar.
He lowered his head to look at the shattered jade pendant in his hand, his eyes full of lingering fear and relief.
"What terrifying Sword Qi! It's even more powerful than Second Xu's thunder arts! If not for the treasure bestowed by the ancestor, I'd have been decapitated!"
Bai Xingqiu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
In any other place, faced with such an unfathomable enemy, he'd have turned tail and run long ago.
But Falling Star Lake happened to be the "trap" he'd carefully prepared earlier to deal with Second Xu!
"Heh heh, who'd have thought the backup plan I prepared for Second Xu would come in handy now..."
A ruthless glint flashed in Bai Xingqiu's eyes as he casually tossed aside his beloved fan.
At the same time, he formed a hand seal and urged all the demonic baleful energy within him!
Humm—
The tranquil surface of the lake suddenly lit up with vast swathes of dark-purple, arcane runes.
A formation far larger and more complex than the one he'd used to subdue Second Young Master Xu slowly rose from the lakebed, shrouding nearly half of Falling Star Lake...
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