Compared with everyone else.
Mao Ba looked rather "underwhelming," only providing support from the sidelines.
He was an Immortal Cultivator who valued the spirit and neglected the body. There was no way he could fight the Flesh Tai Sui up close, bare-chested. One hit would leave him grievously wounded.
Still.
His role was no small one.
Gurgle...
He took the Red Skin Gourd from his waist.
A shimmering, gaseous "liquid" flowed into his belly.
In an instant.
Mao Ba's gaunt face flushed red. He became as excited as if he'd been injected with chicken blood, and flecks of gold appeared in his eyes.
"...Haste!"
After chanting an incantation.
Whoosh...
One talisman after another flew out of the Divination Bag. Most were yellow, but three were silver.
Yet as soon as those three silver talismans flew out of the bag, Mao Ba, for some reason, drew them back in.
"Burp~ This Daoist is going bankrupt today. I'll burn you to a crisp, you bastard!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Mao Ba staggered about like a drunk, dancing wildly as he chanted and formed hand seals. One dazzling, bright-yellow talisman after another streaked like meteors toward the Flesh Tai Sui, who was under attack.
Object Manipulation and Cursecasting!
These were abilities possessed only by Dao Fire Realm (Cocoon-Breaking) Immortal Cultivators who had passed Foundation Establishment, awakened their spirit roots, and ignited the divine flame in their Purple Mansion Dantian.
Mao Ba was using them now at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Clearly, he was paying a price for it, preparing to fight the Flesh Tai Sui to the death.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The yellow talismans weren't turtles, inching along at a snail's pace.
On the contrary.
They were swift as lightning!
In less than the blink of an eye, one yellow talisman after another slammed into the flesh-and-blood old man, turning into balls of scorching flame that left the Tai Sui charred black and reeking.
This fire was extraordinary.
It harmed demons, but not people.
To the Flesh Tai Sui, it burned like the Great Sun; when it brushed past the others, it was as warm as spring sunshine.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Talisman fire scorched him, sharp swords sliced him, iron fists hammered him in a frenzied barrage...
The Cocoon-Breaking Realm expert took the lead!
Three peak Foundation Establishment experts attacked from the flanks!
One Foundation Establishment Daoist provided support.
For a time, the group worked together with flawless coordination.
The Tai Sui old man had lost the arrogance he'd shown when he first appeared. His body was charred black, with flesh and bone flying everywhere. He was completely on the defensive, screaming again and again.
But!
The Flesh Tai Sui's five hundred years of cultivation were no joke.
His vitality was astonishingly tenacious.
No matter how fiercely everyone bombarded him, they couldn't knock him down for good. A strange red light flickered faintly within him as his flesh churned and healed his wounds, seeming poised to wear them all down!
Ordinary mortals couldn't see the secret behind it.
But how could that escape the eyes of a professional like Mao Ba?
At that moment, he was fighting at the cost of his fortune and had gained some of the abilities of the Dao Fire Realm. His spiritual power was incomparably strong.
His golden-flecked eyes swept over the Tai Sui.
He spotted an egg-sized pill inside him, like a red glazed gem, constantly supplying him with vitality!
A Demon Core!
Once a demon beast completed five hundred years of cultivation, its entire cultivation would condense into a core. It would continue to grow stronger thereafter, until it became the equivalent of a Human Dao Golden Core!
Even a five-hundred-year Demon Core!
Would be of immense benefit to human cultivators. A mortal who obtained one could live for two hundred years, free of illness and disaster!
For a cultivator who obtained one.
Breaking the cocoon and shedding the mortal body, opening the dantian, igniting the divine flame, and reviving the Soldier Fetus would all be entirely within reach!
Damn it. If we let this monster keep fighting, the Demon Core's energy will be used up, and its effects will be greatly diminished!
Mao Ba's expression shifted between dark and bright. He hurriedly shouted to the others, "The Demon Core! It's in the Middle Dantian!"
The Middle Dantian!
Also known as the Yellow Court, it lay below and to the left of the heart, on the golden ratio line, above the navel.
Everyone present was a highly accomplished cultivator. They knew the structure of the human body like the back of their hand; this was basic knowledge.
Though the devilish muscle-bound old man formed from the Flesh Tai Sui was horribly deformed, he was still shaped like a person. The general location had to be right!
However...
Thump!
A muffled impact rang out.
Meng Qingshan spat blood and flew backward. His already-cracked body burst with sprays of blood, his breastbone nearly caving in as he crashed down not far in front of Mao Ba.
"Pfft. You go. The four of us can only hold it off!"
After spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Without even turning his head, Meng Qingshan said this and charged back into the fight, leaving Mao Ba no time to choose.
Me?
Mao Ba wanted to curse.
But Meng Qingshan was right. The completely frenzied Flesh Tai Sui was far too fierce. The four of them could only just barely keep the fight at a stalemate.
The moment Meng Qingshan was knocked away.
The balance collapsed completely.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out!
Zhao Wei had come under increased pressure and taken a solid swipe from the Flesh Tai Sui. His right arm was split to the bone, and he'd nearly had the whole thing torn off.
Clang! Clang!
Yun Tianliu wasn't faring any better.
His fine steel sword had developed one notch after another. It looked ready to shatter completely.
Yingsha was in even worse shape.
He was the strongest, so naturally the Tai Sui focused most of its hatred on him. He took the brunt of its attacks, and both his arms were reduced to a bloody mess.
Only after Meng Qingshan rejoined the fight did things improve. At least they were no longer being pushed back.
At this rate.
They truly had no chance to break away and attack the Demon Core. Only Mao Ba, on the sidelines, had that opportunity.
Damn it!
I'm going for it!!
Seeing this, Mao Ba cursed inwardly. His eyes hardened as a silver talisman flew out of his Divination Bag. He spat a mouthful of blood onto it!
He immediately wilted like an eggplant after a frost.
But at the same time.
The silver talisman in midair changed. Threads of lightning began to shoot from it. With a flash of radiant light, it turned into a foot-long Thunder Sword!
The instant the Thunder Talisman appeared!
Everyone present felt their hair stand on end. An unprecedented sense of danger enveloped them, as if the next moment they'd be blasted to dust by the glorious might of heaven!
Lightning!
The most unyielding and yang force!
Every evil thing in the world quaked at its approach!
No one had expected.
Mao Ba actually had a Thunder Talisman—and could even activate it!
A foot-long Thunder Sword!
It seemed neither real nor illusory. As lightning flashed from it, an aura that judged all things enveloped the surroundings.
No one doubted the destructive power it contained.
It was safe to say that if Mao Ba wished it, everyone present—even Yingsha—would be killed instantly!
Thankfully...
The Thunder Sword was aimed at the Flesh Tai Sui!
"Roar!!"
The moment the Thunder Sword Talisman appeared.
The Flesh Tai Sui sensed the imminent danger. It went berserk, drenched in blood, and its strength suddenly surged by a large margin. With a sweeping strike, it tore Yingsha's entire right arm to pieces!
Their strongest fighter.
In an instant, his strength was cut in half!
"Do it!!"
Meng Qingshan roared like thunder, going completely mad as he and Yun Tianliu and Zhao Wei fought desperately to hold the Flesh Tai Sui back.
Pfft!
Another mouthful of blood.
Mao Ba finally connected his spirit to the Thunder Talisman completely and shouted.
"Haste!!"
Crack!
Through the air.
A brilliant streak of lightning flashed, illuminating every face—
The Flesh Tai Sui's frenzy.
The anticipation of Meng Qingshan, Yun Tianliu, Zhao Wei, and the others.
Mao Ba's relief.
And...
In the darkness of the forest.
Wu Dao's feral smile slowly spreading.
Crack!
Thunder rolled and blazed, carrying a foot-long short sword like a Sea-Emerging Flood Dragon.
In the blink of an eye.
It crossed more than ten meters, aimed straight at the vital point where the Flesh Tai Sui's Demon Core lay!
Nine feet!
Five feet!
Three feet!
Right within reach!
But at this very instant, as fast as a flash of lightning, something unexpected happened!
"Monster!!"
"What?!"
"Run!!"
Shocked, horrified roars rang out one after another.
Under everyone's watchful eyes.
From a distance of mere inches.
The Flesh Tai Sui's face curled into a mocking smile. Its chest suddenly gaped open, spewing a cloud of earthy-yellow smoke.
The smoke billowed thickly without dispersing, pouring out like a fountain. It didn't dodge or evade, but met the incoming Thunder Sword head-on.
Lightning and yellow smoke.
Clashed like fire and water. The moment they met, they exploded in a fierce crackle, sparks flying, and proved evenly matched!
But that situation didn't last even a second!
"Wah..."
In the distance, Mao Ba spat out a mouthful of blood. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
The Thunder Sword's power instantly fell by half.
Under the yellow smoke's erosion, the lightning grew weaker and weaker, until it was swallowed completely. A silver talisman riddled with holes drifted to the ground.
They'd miscalculated!
No one had expected the Flesh Tai Sui to have another life-saving "Demonic Art" hidden away. At the crucial moment, it had struck them a vicious blow, leaving them dizzy and reeling!
Whoosh!!
The yellow smoke spewed by the Flesh Tai Sui didn't disappear after corroding the Thunder Talisman. It shot forward like a venomous snake, hurtling toward the nearest target, Yun Tianliu!
At the brink of life and death!
Yun Tianliu only had time to twist aside, but the yellow smoke still grazed his left arm!
And the smoke kept going without slowing.
As if it had a mind of its own, it locked onto Mao Ba, who was barely alive nearby, and slammed squarely into his neck!
The next moment.
"Damn..."
Yun Tianliu, the first to be struck, turned deathly pale with horror.
His left arm itched unbearably. When he reached out to touch it, it was as if it had been made of mud—the whole arm stretched long, and his hand fell straight to the ground!
Oh no!!
Yun Tianliu was scared out of his wits, his heart seized with terror!
Before you continue