When the tremors finally stopped, one Corpse Demon had been knocked back by the scarlet Flying Sword, a huge wound gaping across its body as black blood poured out. The other was pinned beneath the great seal, howling incessantly.
Xu Yang, meanwhile, staggered backward, his blood and qi churning inside him. The screen of light before him rippled; the two demonic arrows had left him badly shaken. Seeing the small seal score a hit and pin one Corpse Demon down, Xu Yang seized the opportunity and sent the scarlet Flying Sword at the other.
Having taken hit after hit, the Corpse Demon was in a foul rage and immediately charged Xu Yang. But Xu Yang kept it at bay with the Flying Sword, denying it any chance to close in. Then he swept his sleeve, sending a blue Flying Sword streaking toward the Corpse Demon. It was the Breeze Sword he had obtained from Old Man Tianjue.
Although none of Xu Yang's Flying Swords suited his attributes, he had no choice. He was lucky to have anything at all. Fortunately, his Void Spirit Root allowed him to control Dharma Artifacts of any attribute, though their power still fell short of what cultivators with matching attributes could unleash.
Pills were different. Xu Yang could only absorb ordinary spirit pills without attributes; he couldn't absorb spirit pills with any other attribute. Fortunately, most spirit pills had no attributes. Only a few special ones did, and they were generally high-grade, rare, and difficult to refine.
As he pondered this, Xu Yang's hands never slowed. The two Flying Swords darted up and down, trapping the Corpse Demon between them and stabbing at it again and again. The Corpse Demon howled and swiped at the swords, but they nimbly dodged every blow.
The sharp clangs rang out without pause. Though the Corpse Demon was covered in wounds, it remained ferocious. The other Corpse Demon struggled even harder, and the great seal began to tremble. Seeing this, Xu Yang grew anxious and made a swift decision. He recalled the scarlet Flying Sword and spat a mouthful of blood onto it.
The scarlet Flying Sword absorbed Xu Yang's blood, its red glow blazing as its power surged. Xu Yang sent it stabbing toward the Corpse Demon. With a soft thud, it severed one of the demon's arms. The Corpse Demon roared and was just about to unleash a demonic arrow when the scarlet Flying Sword swept back around. Its hideous head rolled to the ground, and its body swayed before collapsing.
Having dispatched that Corpse Demon, Xu Yang spun around and sent a Flying Sword at the one pinned beneath the great seal. With a soft thud, the sword chopped off its head. The demon, which had been struggling violently, immediately slumped still and fell silent.
After killing both Corpse Demons, Xu Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around and confirmed there were no other monsters nearby, then beckoned back the two Flying Swords and the small seal. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he swiftly replenished the Gang Qi within him. Controlling four Dharma Artifacts at once had drained it severely, and he was nearly exhausted.
Fortunately, though the pills in his Qiankun Bag that could improve his cultivation were all gone, he still had plenty of Qi Recovery Pills. He took out a spirit pill, swallowed it, and began circulating his energy to absorb it.
A short while later, Xu Yang had recovered most of his Gang Qi. He rose and walked over to the two Corpse Demons, examining them closely. They must have been corrupted by demonic qi only after they died: each had a huge wound in the throat, clearly having been bitten to death.
Xu Yang's heart tightened at the sight. He knew there were other dangers farther in. As he continued onward, he was attacked again by Blood-Sucking Bats. To his shock, these bats had been thoroughly corrupted by demonic qi, and their strength had risen by a minor realm, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Even with Xu Yang's cultivation at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, more than a dozen fourth-level Demon Bats proved overwhelming. Only after a fierce battle did he manage to wipe them out. Their original fangs had also been corrupted by demonic qi, becoming Blood-Sucking Demon Fangs. They were worth far more now and could fetch a decent price. That was the one piece of good news.
After that, Xu Yang encountered several more waves of Demon Bats and killed them all. But the Gang Qi he spent was too much; even the Qi Recovery Pills could barely keep up. With no other choice, he concealed himself and dodged the bats.
Dodging and hiding, Xu Yang reached the deepest part of the stone cavern. Before a small cave entrance stood an enormous Demon Bat, two meters tall. Its eyes were bloodred, two sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, and streams of demonic qi swirled around it. Its cultivation had actually reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining.
As soon as Xu Yang arrived, its scarlet eyes fixed on him. It opened its mouth wide and released a sonic wave that hurtled toward him, making the air ripple violently wherever it passed. Xu Yang's expression changed. He immediately poured Gang Qi into the screen of light, which blazed brightly and blocked the sound wave.
He raised a hand, and a small seal flew out, rapidly enlarging as it crashed toward the Demon Bat. The bat shrieked, beat its wings, and shot into the air, sending wave after wave of sound at Xu Yang.
Xu Yang hurriedly dodged. When he couldn't avoid an attack, he relied on the screen of light to defend himself. At the same time, he controlled the great seal with his left hand and rammed it into the Demon Bat, then sent a streak of red swordlight after it.
The Demon Bat was incredibly nimble in the air, and the great seal couldn't hit it at all. The scarlet Flying Sword, however, was both fast and agile, giving the bat a great deal of trouble. Seeing this, Xu Yang immediately recalled the great seal. The Breeze Sword flew from his sleeve, and together with the scarlet Flying Sword, it went to cut down the Demon Bat.
The Demon Bat gave an angry cry and unleashed a black wind blade about two meters long, knocking the Flying Swords away from in front of it. It beat its wings and flew above Xu Yang, then viciously raked down at him with its two thick claws.
The wind blade sent the Flying Swords flying, and Xu Yang immediately felt his spiritual sense reel. His head spun. By the time he came to, the Demon Bat's massive claws were already raking at the screen of light, making it ripple violently.
Xu Yang was badly startled and hurriedly poured Gang Qi into the screen of light, barely managing to withstand the Demon Bat's attack. But despite blocking it, he was in dire straits: the Demon Bat had landed on the screen and was relentlessly striking it with its claws and wings.
The screen shuddered again and again, ripples spreading across it as Xu Yang's Gang Qi drained away rapidly. He could barely hold on. He quickly focused his mind and sent both Flying Swords circling back to attack the Demon Bat.
A black aura flared around the Demon Bat, keeping the Flying Swords at bay as it continued its relentless assault on the screen of light. Xu Yang's heart sank. He knew the situation was grim. If the screen broke, he would be in danger.
With that thought, Xu Yang steeled himself and immediately recalled the Indeterminate Ring. The screen of light before him vanished. The Demon Bat was momentarily stunned by its disappearance, then shrieked and reached out to claw at Xu Yang.
Seeing the huge claw coming at him, Xu Yang stood his ground and shouted. He activated the Indestructible Golden Body Art, and his entire body turned a deep, dark blue-black. He raised his left hand and punched at the Demon Bat's massive claw.
A thunderous boom rang out as man and beast collided. A sharp crack followed, and the Demon Bat shrieked as it crashed to the ground, one of its claws broken by Xu Yang's punch.
Xu Yang's face lit up with delight. He hadn't expected the Iron Body to be so powerful; one punch had sent the Demon Bat reeling. He pushed off with his foot and pressed his advantage, continuing to punch at it.
Seeing Xu Yang charge, the Demon Bat opened its mouth and fired wave after wave of sound. Xu Yang shouted and immediately drove his Iron Body into the attack. Sharp clangs rang out as the sound waves shattered, while his blue-black body was left with nothing more than a few white spots.
Once he reached the Demon Bat, Xu Yang raised his black fists and rained punches down on it. Each blow landed with a thud, and the Demon Bat shrieked without pause. Before long, it was covered in blood and barely clinging to life. Xu Yang saw his chance and put all his strength into one final punch, smashing its head. With a sharp crack, the bat's skull split into four, killing it instantly.
After killing the Demon Bat, Xu Yang sat down on the ground, panting. He looked himself over and saw wisps of demonic qi coiling across the surface of his skin, unable to enter. It couldn't penetrate his body at all.
Xu Yang was overjoyed. Now he no longer had to fear being corrupted by demonic qi, and he wouldn't have to waste Gang Qi on it either. After resting for a while and replenishing his depleted Gang Qi, he stood and walked toward the small cave entrance.
Inside, Xu Yang surveyed the area. Ten meters ahead lay a one-meter-square stone, with a Demon Eye the size of a dragon's eye embedded in it. His heart leaped at the sight, and he immediately moved to collect it.
He had just taken a step when a hiss came from overhead. Xu Yang stopped at once and looked up. He saw a five-meter-long black lizard clinging to the cave ceiling. A golden vertical mark ran across its head.
Xu Yang was greatly alarmed. This was a Gold-Devouring Lizard, a sixth-level Qi Refining beast. It excelled at digging through the earth and fed on metal ores and natural treasures.
From its appearance, it had clearly been corrupted and transformed by demonic qi. Its strength had risen again, and it was at least at the seventh level of Qi Refining. No wonder the Demon Bat had stayed outside the cave. This was trouble.
As he thought this, Xu Yang moved swiftly. The Indeterminate Ring rose above his head, and the screen of light enveloped him. Combined with the Iron Body's formidable defense, it finally put his mind at ease.
Just then, the Gold-Devouring Demon Lizard hissed from the cave ceiling and plunged toward Xu Yang. Its thick right claw swept through the air with a whoosh, viciously reaching for his head.
Wanting to gauge the lizard's strength, Xu Yang stood his ground without dodging and threw a hard punch with his left hand at its right claw. With a booming impact, the lizard was knocked backward by his punch—but Xu Yang ended up in worse shape.
The lizard's claw sent him flying out of the small cave and into the cavern beyond. Three shallow bloody scratches appeared on Xu Yang's left hand, with a faint trace of demonic qi coiling around the wounds.
Xu Yang raised his hand and looked. His heart eased; the scratches on his left hand weren't serious, and had only broken the skin. He easily drove out the faint demonic qi around the wounds by activating his Iron Body.
After tending to his wounds, Xu Yang looked up at the lizard. He happened to see it hissing as it emerged from the small cave and approached him. Man and lizard faced each other from a short distance, locked in a standoff.
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