You little brat, you're truly arrogant. Let me cut out your tongue, and I'll see just how chewy it is.
At once, the Demonic Beasts all around stirred at the sound. Cursing and shrieking, they charged Su Ye as one. Eyeballs and human organs mixed with thick blood spilled across the table, making the scene all the more eerie.
Facing a horde of Demonic Beasts at the Meridian Mirror, Su Ye stood firm, blood and baleful intent steaming around him. The Ghost Head Saber in his hand blazed with black-red light. Its blade aura had originally stretched only ten feet.
But bolstered by the power of blood and baleful intent, it suddenly surged to thirty feet, like a giant dragon pressing down upon heaven and earth.
More than a dozen terrifying figures before him were swept by the black-red blade aura, and then—
Bam! Bam! A dozen muffled impacts rang out.
As blood mist drifted through the air, the space before Su Ye suddenly opened up.
The sight left the Demonic Beasts trembling with terror. Then, a voice rang out from among them.
"Secret Technique! What that brat just used was clearly a Secret Technique!"
At the words "Secret Technique," the Demonic Beasts' pupils contracted. Their scarlet eyes brimmed with greed, and their breathing grew heavier.
Even the lowest-grade Secret Technique began at the Earth rank. Its mysteries far surpassed those of ordinary Martial Arts of the same rank. Such a technique was enough to drive anyone—or any Demonic Beast—mad with desire.
Behind the horde, the Groom and Bride stood side by side, a flush spreading across their deathly pale faces.
"Let those fools wear him down first. With his Meridian Mirror strength, he won't last long."
A two-meter-tall Corpse Demon covered in black fur charged with a roar. Relying on his tough, leathery body, Su Ye didn't bother giving it an opening. He swung the Mountain Outline, spanning nearly a hundred feet, straight into the thickest part of the horde.
Sizzle—
Sparks flew in all directions.
The Corpse Demon's claws, sharp enough to pierce granite, struck Su Ye's back first. Yet they didn't harm him in the slightest, leaving only a few faint white marks on his skin.
Boom!
The blade aura crashed down like a meteor. Its immense force shook the ground and split it apart, spiderwebbing the earth with cracks.
A huge, irregular crater came into view after the crash. Nearly a dozen Demonic Beasts inside had been crushed into a bloody pulp.
When the dust settled, the surviving Demonic Beasts stood with their mouths dry, unable to speak. Their bodies trembled, and not one dared step forward.
A grim smile appeared on the Groom's withered face. He coaxed them, "That brat is only at the Meridian Mirror. A Secret Technique is nothing more than power compressed from within."
"He's been using it recklessly. He's already at the end of his strength, and his death is near."
"Fellow cultivators, what are you waiting for?"
A giant with a mangled head glared at him fiercely. "You're the strongest one here. If we get our hands on the Secret Technique, how will you divide it?"
His words brought the Demonic Beasts to their senses one after another.
"You and your wife have been watching coldly from the sidelines. Are you trying to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?" interjected a young man surrounded by several Paper figures.
The Bride smiled. "Rest assured, everyone. We'll each make a copy when the time comes."
Though the Demonic Beasts still had their misgivings, faced with the temptation of a Secret Technique, they decided to take a gamble.
"Show him what you've got and kill him as quickly as possible. We'll stand together until we get the Secret Technique, then each go our own way."
"Brother Tiger is right. If we work together as brothers, we'll share the blessings and bear the hardships."
Su Ye quietly listened to the Demonic Beasts' conversation while secretly gathering his strength.
Claws, bloody maws, and black mist—dozens of fierce attacks filled the night sky.
In an instant, Su Ye felt the pressure mount. Fortunately, he had already summoned the power of blood and baleful intent, saving himself a great deal of time.
He began to drive the gathered power of blood and baleful intent with all his might. As it surged at incredible speed, black-red light spread across Su Ye's body, then burst several meters out from him. His robes snapped in the wind.
As he raised his right palm high, the sky tens of meters above them suddenly turned black-red and oppressive. It was even more terrifying and eerie than the Demonic Beasts below.
The power of blood and baleful intent abruptly took shape in midair, becoming a black-red palm that covered the entire rear courtyard. The giant palm began to descend. It seemed to move slowly, yet in the blink of an eye it was already above the Demonic Beasts.
The Demonic Beasts couldn't dodge in time. To their horror, they discovered that no matter what they did, they couldn't move an inch. With no other choice, they could only fight the descending palm with all their strength.
"What kind of martial art is this? How can it be so overbearing?"
"He's only at the Meridian Mirror! Even with a Secret Technique, there's no way he could unleash something this terrifying!"
Rumble!
In an instant, it was as if a gale had swept through the courtyard. Countless tables, chairs, pavilions, and buildings crumbled under the invisible pressure, ground to dust.
The weaker Demonic Beasts died with blood pouring from all seven orifices before their attacks could even reach him.
Facing certain death, the Demonic Beasts turned ashen. They could only resist with all their strength, praying for a chance to survive.
The two dry corpses—the Groom and the Bride—exchanged a swift glance, then rushed toward each other.
"Are they trying to die together?"
That was rather touching.
Seeing the two dry corpses embrace tightly, Su Ye muttered to himself.
The instant the giant palm fell, the Demonic Beasts' bodies exploded. Their innards and flesh splattered everywhere. The array covering the courtyard gave a "crack," then turned into countless points of light that slowly faded away.
Killed [Meridian Mirror, early stage · Rat Demon]—gained 65 Assistance Points Killed [Meridian Mirror, late stage · Ox Demon]—gained 86 Assistance Points Killed [Meridian Mirror · ] ...
Something was wrong.
The panel was packed with notifications, but none said that the Groom and Bride had been killed.
In Su Ye's perception, the Groom and Bride were at least at Meridian Opening Perfection. He immediately became more alert and swiftly scanned his surroundings.
By now, the rear courtyard had been leveled. It was deathly silent, with only the broken walls and rubble standing still. Nothing seemed out of place.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his sea of consciousness. It came from behind him.
Four directions.
Su Ye quickly estimated the positions of the attacks and twisted around. Strength surged through his body as he compressed the power of blood and baleful intent to its limit, then slowly poured it through his palm into the Ghost Head Saber.
Four thorn-like wooden claws whistled toward him. Su Ye forced himself to arch backward, barely dodging the deadly attack.
He spun around, only to find the Groom and Bride gone. In their place stood a hideous monster.
Its face held nothing but a massive black maw. Its skin resembled dried tree bark, rough and furrowed, with viscous fluid oozing from its cracks.
Four sharp claws jutted from its back, each using a different attack as they shot toward Su Ye once more at terrifying speed.
The eerie figure vanished again. In a flash, a faint afterimage entered Su Ye's vision. In that instant, it had already reached a mere two meters from him.
Its coarse black arm, wreathed in a dim green glow, flashed past—then its claws were only inches from his chest.
Su Ye barely caught a glimpse of the afterimage. In the space of a lightning flash, he raised the massive Ghost Head Saber and unleashed the boundless power of blood and baleful intent within him.
Rumble!
The instant the two made contact, a roar like a mountain flood erupted. Seizing the opportunity, Su Ye unleashed all the power of blood and baleful intent in one go, giving the monster no chance to catch its breath.
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