Happy Children's Day, Fellow Daoists!
Even knowing this was only a clone of Luohu's primordial spirit, East King Duke didn't dare let his guard down for a moment. The name Luohu overshadowed his era; perhaps only a handful of figures like Hongjun could stand alongside him.
What was more, this clone had also reached Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak, and his cultivation was higher than East King Duke's.
Still, even facing a clone of the Demon Ancestor whose cultivation surpassed his own, East King Duke didn't retreat in the slightest. He aspired to the Primordial Unity and would never lose his edge here.
Standing atop the Twelfth-grade Innate Yin-Yang Dao Lotus, with his fingers forming a sword sign and the Pure Yang Sword hovering above his head, East King Duke's aura continued to rise. Supreme Yang Power stirred the surrounding spiritual energy, whipping up gusts of Gale Wind that swept across the land. Sword Qi circled his body, ringing out with the cries of countless swords.
Even Luohu's clone gradually put aside his contempt at such a display of power.
"Bold indeed! Before this honored one contends with Hongjun for the Dao, I cannot leave you as an unpredictable factor. So, brat, die!"
The clone bellowed and swung the Innate Devil Sword in his hand.
Demonic energy surged, taking the form of a ten-thousand-zhang Devil Bird.
"Aw!"
Its piercing cry shook the soul. Its wings spread wide, blotting out the sky and sun, and its claws gleamed as it swooped down.
The Devil Tribe's divine abilities were devastating, crafted solely for slaughter. Luohu was a Quasi-Saint powerhouse, and even his clone's attacks could shake the heavens and earth.
Battle Intent blazed in East King Duke's eyes. He flashed into the air and raised a hand, pointing skyward.
"Slash!"
The Pure Yang Sword above his head slashed down, its force sweeping forth like a rainbow, as if it could cleave the sky.
The sword's force carried Supreme Yang Power, upright and brimming with yang energy. It was a natural enemy to the overwhelming demonic energy. As the sword swept past, it was like clouds parting to reveal the sun, and the demonic energy all around vanished.
"Caw, caw, caw..."
With a mournful screech, the Devil Bird—once magnificent and ferocious—was cleaved in two. Its manifestation instantly dissipated, turning back into demonic energy that swept across a hundred li in every direction, kicking up sand and stone in towering clouds.
After slaying the Devil Bird with one blow, East King Duke guided the Pure Yang Sword with his Spiritual Sense. In a flash, he darted toward Luohu's clone.
When he reached him, he gave a light tap with the sword's tip, splitting it into three Supreme Yang Dharma Lotuses that crashed forward.
Luohu's clone's expression darkened. He tapped the Spiritual Treasure beneath his feet with his right foot. A burst of black light flashed, and the Pure Yang Sword was sent flying back at the slightest touch. Even the three Supreme Yang Dharma Lotuses couldn't break through the defenses raised by the treasure diagram.
"Rumble!"
The blow only made Luohu's clone's body tremble a few times before the Dharma Lotuses dissipated into the world.
East King Duke's gaze sharpened. The Spiritual Treasure beneath his opponent's feet was clearly extraordinary. It had to be at least a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Even if it wasn't quite as good as his Twelve-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus, it couldn't be far off. As expected of the Demon Ancestor, who had so many treasures that even a mere clone carried a Spiritual Treasure of such rank.
It seemed only Hongjun could compare.
Though his attack had failed, East King Duke didn't lose heart. He continued his assault, unleashing one Supreme Yang divine ability after another with sweeping, powerful strikes, giving it his all.
Luohu's cultivation was profound, and he had many Spiritual Treasures. But this was still only a clone, and East King Duke's Supreme Yang arts were exquisite. His treasures were no worse, either. The two were evenly matched.
By now, Luohu's clone had begun treating East King Duke as an equal. They battled from the earth to the starry sky, pitting spell against Spiritual Treasure. Living beings within a radius of hundreds of thousands of li fled.
"Rumble!"
Deafening booms rang out without end. Even the aftershocks of their battle were enough to scorch rivers and churn seas, split the earth, and shatter mountains.
After countless exchanges, they still hadn't reached a victor. Luohu's clone's expression had grown ugly. After casting another spell, he retreated a hundred li, then beckoned with one hand. An ink-colored Giant Banner flew down from above his head, and he gripped it.
He swung it with all his might.
"Buzzz!"
Demonic energy surged and shrouded the land. Amid a chorus of shrill cries, grotesque Heavenly Devil Illusions emerged from it, one, then two...
A full hundred Heavenly Devil Illusions emerged from the demonic energy. Their auras were all as powerful as Great Luo Golden Immortals or stronger. Though they were only illusions with no physical forms, they feared no death, and Malevolent Qi soared around them.
This was Luohu's clone's trump card, and it was indeed extraordinary. Even an ordinary Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal cultivator would probably struggle to withstand it.
East King Duke's expression changed slightly, but he didn't panic. His opponent wasn't the only one who had held back.
The Twelfth-grade Innate Yin-Yang Dao Lotus shielded him. The Pure Yang Sword shot up from above his head and hovered upside down in midair. Then he raised his hand and struck the immortal sword with several Mysterious Magic Arts.
In an instant, the long sword split in two, then four... In the blink of an eye, it had divided into countless gleaming Sword Qi blades.
He guided them with a sword sign, and the Sword Qi shot down, carrying Supreme Yang Power like a rain of immortal swords pouring from the Ninth Heaven. Before the many Heavenly Devil Illusions summoned by Luohu's clone's banner could even reach him, the sword rain pierced them and annihilated most of them.
But that wasn't the end. The Sword Qi struck the ground and dispersed. Across a radius of ten li, lines of formation markings appeared on the earth, linking together through spiritual energy to form a vast formation in an instant.
"Supreme Yang Demon-Slaying Array, rise!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the array had already enveloped Luohu's clone and the dozen or so remaining Heavenly Devil Illusions.
"Slay!"
Sword light suddenly crisscrossed within the array, weaving into a vast net. The Heavenly Devil Illusions had no chance to resist; they were torn to pieces in an instant. At the heart of the array, the Pure Yang Sword shot forth and slashed at Luohu's clone.
Within the Demon-Slaying Array, Luohu's clone felt the Pure Yang Sword's force, as if it would cut down everything in its path. His expression turned grave. There was no way to dodge. Standing on the treasure diagram, he summoned all his demonic power and had no choice but to meet the attack head-on.
The Pure Yang Sword, empowered by Formation Power, was unmatched in might. Its slash instantly broke through the defenses raised by the treasure diagram beneath Luohu's clone's feet. Its force undiminished, it headed straight for the clone's body.
"Boom!"
Luohu's clone was sent flying. The sword strike had left him gravely wounded.
East King Duke pursued him like a shadow, hovering in the air with the Pure Yang Sword in hand, as if divine might had descended from the heavens. He was about to slay his opponent on the spot, but before he could attack, his primordial spirit began to leap wildly, and an overwhelming sense of danger surged through him.
His expression changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, he retreated at full speed. As he dodged, the space ahead split apart inch by inch, and an immense demonic aura seeped through, carrying the killing intent of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Even from afar, he could sense that its aura was several times stronger than Luohu's clone's.
East King Duke was shaken to the core. There was likely no one in the Devil Tribe with such a presence besides one figure.
"My true self!"
Luohu's clone's words confirmed East King Duke's guess. It was Luohu himself, arriving in person.
East King Duke had never wanted to face Luohu so soon, not while he was only at the Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal level. Even with all his confidence, he knew he was no match for him.
This was the greatest crisis he had faced since entering the world. He didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately fled.
Yet even though the Supreme Yang Lotus Escape Technique was fast, a demonic shadow seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, he could only turn to face his pursuer. A streak of blood-red light came hurtling toward him from afar. By the time he made it out, it was already before him: a Spiritual Treasure spear, scarlet as blood and wreathed in Fierce and Malicious Qi.
"The God Slaying Spear!"
East King Duke was appalled. He had never imagined Luohu would bring out this supreme weapon of slaughter outright. Clearly, he meant to kill him on the spot.
He had no confidence that he could withstand a strike from the God Slaying Spear unscathed. But at this very moment, he had no choice but to try and block it!
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