Monster Alliance 5

The quiet chamber was crisscrossed with sword energy, the iron-plated walls gouged with countless furrows and riddled with holes. Like ten thousand swords bursting forth at once, or the Milky Way crashing down from the heavens, specks of sword-light scattered like stars—the entire room was filled with sword-glow and starlight, enveloping the three demons. Clang! Yuan Wuji's long staff was sliced in two and fell to the ground. Crack! The Nether Ghost's massive skull was ground to powder, dissolving into a wisp of deep yin ghostly energy that vanished into the air. The Tianxuan Blood Demon suddenly erupted with a thick, sticky blood mist, wrapping himself within it, and a buzzing voice came from the blood fog: "Impressive, Ten Thousand Swords from the Heart. Sect Master Zhou, hold your hand for now—let's talk in detail!"

When Zhou Qing heard the Blood Demon speak, he withdrew his sword energy. Everyone in the chamber, human and demon alike, felt a sudden dimness as the starlight formed by the sword energy vanished without a trace. Zhou Chen was also left dumbstruck by her cheap master's earth-shaking sword strike, muttering under her breath: "It came like thunder's fury in a storm, and ceased like river and sea congealing their light!" Suddenly! A faint blue light emerged from nowhere, shooting straight at Zhou Qing. The blue light was incredibly fast, reaching his chest in an instant. Zhou Chen shouted, "Master, watch out!" and lunged forward.

"What are you doing? Get back!" Though Zhou Qing knew Zhou Chen meant well, he was still furious at her moth-to-flame behavior. He grabbed Zhou Chen, and the blue light barely reached his chest—it was the Cat Demon's signature weapon, the Poison Fang Blade. Zhou Qing roared, and a massive iron seal like a shield materialized in front of him. Clang! Clang! The sound of metal clashing echoed through the entire chamber—the Poison Fang Blade had collided with Zhou Qing's Heavenly Seal. Sparks flew like fireworks from the point of impact.

Seeing her ambush fail, the Cat Demon quickly formed a hand seal. The Poison Fang Blade feinted, its blue light flaring brightly as it barely fended off the Heavenly Seal's entanglement, then spun and shot back. Zhou Qing was already fuming inwardly: If I hadn't held something back, that slut would have caught me off guard! Now seeing the blue light retreat, Zhou Qing wasn't about to let it escape. "Hah!" He spat out a stream of true qi, and the Heavenly Seal transformed into a blurry shadow, overtaking the Poison Fang Blade in an instant, manifesting its massive true form above it and slamming down hard!

The Heavenly Seal was three zhang square, its entire body wreathed in clear light, faint runes rotating on its crystal-like surface. Since Zhou Qing's power had greatly increased and he had condensed his Second Primordial Spirit, he had been troubled by the lack of a decent magic treasure. He had no good materials to craft one, and though the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber was a top-tier divine artifact in the world, Zhou Qing couldn't yet control it—like a man with a mountain of gold who didn't know how to spend it. So Zhou Qing had used Samadhi True Fire to thoroughly refine the Heavenly Seal, adding a portion of Prime Gold of Taiyi. Now this great seal faintly carried the flavor of overturning the heavens.

Clang! Though the Poison Fang Blade was a decent magic weapon, it couldn't withstand Zhou Qing's Heavenly Seal, driven by his Transformation Stage cultivation, smashing it repeatedly. The blue light rapidly dimmed, its spiritual energy completely lost, and it fell to the ground. The Cat Demon's body trembled, and a trace of fresh blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. No wonder—the Poison Fang Blade was made from a tooth of a Giant Flood Dragon she had found years ago. That Giant Flood Dragon had already been a Transformation Stage expert, but it had recklessly cultivated some forbidden art, drawing down a heavenly thunder strike. The thunder and fire had blasted the Giant Flood Dragon to pieces, leaving only this tooth, which the Cat Demon had found and treasured like a gem, refining it into her personal treasure. She had sacrificed her blood and mind to it daily, and it was already connected to her spirit. Now that the Poison Fang Blade had been shattered by Zhou Qing, her spirit was damaged—how could she not be injured?

Zhou Qing, however, was not one to let up. The Heavenly Seal trembled and let out a long screech—the sound of the seal cutting through the air. The three-zhang-square seal, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, swept even the Eight Extremes Wolf King into its range. The Eight Extremes Wolf King's heart turned to ash; there was no way he could withstand such an onslaught. The other three demons were like clay Buddhas crossing a river—barely able to save themselves, let alone help him. The Eight Extremes Wolf King could only cast a pleading look at the Tianxuan Blood Demon, who was shrouded in thick, sticky blood light.

Suddenly, a patch of blood light steadily caught the seal. The Tianxuan Blood Demon said, "Sect Master Zhou, let's talk things out properly. There's no reason to harm our goodwill!" Zhou Qing felt a massive, tough, yet gentle force holding up the Heavenly Seal. His own power seemed to strike a ball of cotton—a soft, powerless feeling with nowhere to exert force!

"This demon really is a bit stronger than me. I wonder what powerful treasures he has? Doesn't seem simple either!" Zhou Qing's mind stirred, and the great seal shrank to three inches square, falling into his hand and vanishing. "Alliance Master, you're not being straightforward. Either we trade—after all, the Gouchen Heavenly Book is in ancient demon script, and we can't read it anyway. What do you say? Or we fight it out and settle things with real skill. But your Monster Alliance has quite a reputation—tall trees catch the wind. I'm sure you have no shortage of enemies. That would be a bit troublesome, wouldn't it?" Zhou Qing subtly reminded the Blood Demon.

The Tianxuan Blood Demon withdrew his blood light, revealing his form, and said, "Sect Master Zhou is indeed a man of direct speech. To have cultivated Shu Mountain's Soaring Sword Qi Art to the level of Ten Thousand Swords from the Heart—even the elders and sect master of Shu Mountain are no more than this. Could it be..."

Zhou Qing said, "Spare me the nonsense. I do have some connection to Shu Mountain, but this isn't the time to discuss that. So, where's the person?" Zhou Qing chuckled inwardly: Of course I have a connection to Shu Mountain—I killed their disciples, seized their swords and manuals. How could I not have a connection? In Zhou Qing's hand was now a tortoise-shell-like object—the Gouchen Heavenly Book that Zhou Chen had handed him earlier.

Looking at this Gouchen Heavenly Book, which resembled a tortoise shell, Zhou Qing's sharp eyes immediately caught the dense, tiny script on its surface. His heart skipped a beat: Strange—why does this script look exactly like the one on that ** of mine? I thought it was ancient Sanskrit, but it turns out to be ancient demon script. Damn! So this is what Emperor Gouchen left behind—a tortoise shell? Looks completely ordinary to me! Zhou Qing thoroughly scorned Emperor Gouchen in his heart.

But when the Tianxuan Blood Demon saw it, his eyes went wide. He said in a deep voice, "No mistake! That's it. You! Nether Ghost! Go bring the Little Fox over." The Nether Ghost acknowledged, turning into a wisp of ghostly energy and drilling through the cracked wall. Before long, he returned carrying an unconscious girl who looked similar to Zhou Chen but was clearly younger.

"Sister!" Hearing Zhou Chen's cry, Zhou Qing understood everything. "Alliance Master, why is my disciple's sister unconscious? Nothing wrong, I hope?"

"Don't worry, I only put the Little Fox to sleep. She's perfectly fine. Now, hand over the book!" The Tianxuan Blood Demon spread his hand wide, and an invisible suction force pulled Zhou Chen's sister toward him.