Nine-Ren Mountain and the Scorpion Demon attacked at the same time. Nine-Ren Mountain slapped his palm forward, sending chunks of heavy rock flying. A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Xiaotian's eyes. He hadn't fought Nine-Ren Mountain many times, but the Lotus Avatar had crossed swords with him several times. The memories Lu Xiaotian had exchanged with the Lotus Avatar had left him with a deep impression of the man.
Previously, Nine-Ren Mountain's greatest strength hadn't been this sort of technique. These seemingly ordinary rocks held a nascent divine ability, with a trace of hidden, razor-sharp killing intent that his former methods had lacked.
Nine-Ren Mountain was a formidable figure in his own right. He had held sway over Nine Central City for so many years, and during his battle with the Lotus Avatar, he had already broken free of his shackles. Now, there were signs that he was about to surpass his former realm. Even after giving up the City Lord's Seal and leaving Nine Central City, his strength hadn't waned. On the contrary, he had pressed forward with renewed vigor—clearly emerging from the shadows of his past.
Boom! Boom! One after another, immense, mountain-like forces slammed into the formation's key nodes, the very points Lu Xiaotian had indicated.
As for the Ksitigarbha Twelve-Winged Scorpion Demon, he also threw several punches. A gigantic scorpion's shadow appeared behind him, and Nine-Ren Mountain couldn't help but look startled. The Scorpion Demon had often targeted him before, but Nine-Ren Mountain hadn't taken it too seriously. Though the other man was formidable, he wasn't much stronger than Nine-Ren Mountain. Besides, Nine-Ren Mountain felt his cultivation bottleneck loosening and was confident he'd eventually catch up to the Scorpion Demon.
But judging from the Scorpion Demon's attacks now, he, too, had clearly taken that crucial step.