Just as they laughed and let down their guard...
Nie Li swiftly reached Xiao Ning'er's side, ready to take her away.
The instant he touched Xiao Ning'er, Nie Li could no longer conceal his presence. His secret art and Demon Spirit could only hide his aura and keep him concealed without outside interference.
The moment he was exposed, he activated a Black Gold Inscription Scroll, "Wind-Speed," which Xiao Tianhao had just given him, and instantly streaked away in a flash of light.
When the Dark Guild members realized what had happened, they flew into a rage. They had never expected their captive to be rescued right under their noses. They felt like a bunch of clowns.
They quickly merged with their Demon Spirits to give chase, but Nie Li's Shadow Demon was an assassin-type Demon Spirit with God Level growth potential. With a Black Gold speed-enhancing Inscription Scroll on top of that, even an ordinary Legend rank expert would not have caught him. All they could do was watch as Nie Li vanished in a streak of light with Xiao Ning'er.
Seeing that Xiao Ning'er had been taken to safety, Xiao Tianhao's eyes flashed with a sharp glint.
"You Dark Guild scum all deserve to die."
With that, he swiftly took a Black Gold Inscription Scroll, "Inferno Sea of Flames," from his Space Ring and poured Soul Force into it, activating it immediately. He aimed it at the ground beneath the Dark Guild members, and the earth instantly became a sea of fire, with scorching pillars of flame erupting from it without pause.
"Damn it!" Ghost Fiend roared.
"How does this brat have a Black Gold Inscription Scroll?"
"Spread out! Get out of here!"
These Black Gold experts from the Dark Guild had all sorts of Demon Spirits: tigers, leopards, bears, wolves, birds, and other exotic beasts.
The Demon Spirit Masters who could fly swiftly carried away those whose ground-based Demon Spirits could not.
"Aaaah! Save me!" Some were struck by pillars of fire before anyone could carry them away. They struggled for only a few seconds before being melted away, leaving no intact remains.
Agonized screams rang out across the sea of flames.
Those who escaped were bedraggled and covered in soot, their clothes burned full of holes.
In his frantic escape, Ghost Fiend lost both his cloak and mask, revealing his true appearance.
By then, he had already merged with his Demon Spirit. Cold black vapor rose from his body, purple flames swirled around him, black markings covered his face, and his eyes had turned ink-black. His Demon Spirit was called the Bloodthirsty Ghost Demon, a Legend rank Demon Beast. Not only did it possess highly poisonous flames, but its close-combat prowess was also immensely powerful.
After escaping the sea of flames, Ghost Fiend and the other Dark Guild members spread out around Xiao Tianhao, surrounding him completely.
Every one of them stared at Xiao Tianhao with hatred in their eyes.
Xiao Tianhao, however, had already begun merging with his Demon Spirit, the Behemoth Rock Beast, while activating his Inscription Scroll.
His body now stood five meters tall, its surface covered in rock. The muscles of his arms bulged, his hands had become enormous claws, and his overall appearance somewhat resembled a bear.
Ghost Fiend was the first to unleash a Demon Spirit Battle Technique at Xiao Tianhao, calling out in a low voice.
"Dark Flame Descends!"
Dark-purple flames gathered before him and lunged swiftly at Xiao Tianhao like a ferocious tiger.
The other Dark Guild members unleashed their own Demon Spirit Battle Techniques.
"Wild Wind Blade!"
"Devouring Wolf Annihilation Strike!"
"Storm!"
Without a hint of panic, Xiao Tianhao unleashed his own Demon Spirit Battle Technique, "Earth Guardian."
Three shields formed from rock instantly appeared beside him, revolving rapidly around his body. A pale-yellow dome of light appeared within the area they circled.
The Demon Spirit Battle Techniques unleashed by Ghost Fiend and the others struck the dome one after another.
The dark-purple flames roared as they lunged at the dome. The instant they touched its pale-yellow surface, a sizzling sound rang out. The flames savagely ate away at the barrier, but it only trembled slightly and did not break.
The Wild Wind Blade struck the dome like a barrage of razor-sharp blades, sending showers of sparks flying. A fine crack appeared on the barrier, but it remained firmly in place around Xiao Tianhao.
The Devouring Wolf Annihilation Strike became a gigantic wolf phantom, slamming into the dome with the force to topple mountains and overturn seas. The barrier's light flickered, but it remained unbroken.
All the remaining attacks struck the dome as well, but they only left a dozen or so cracks. It did not shatter.
"What?! How is that possible?"
"His aura is clearly only Gold Three-Star, yet he blocked our attacks!"
"What kind of Demon Spirit is that? How come I've never seen it before?"
Ghost Fiend and the others looked grim. They had never expected Xiao Tianhao's defensive Demon Spirit Battle Technique to be so powerful.
"Attack together. There's something strange about this brat," Ghost Fiend ordered.
At his words, the Dark Guild members roared and charged at Xiao Tianhao. Ghost Fiend's figure flickered as he closed in like a specter, driving a fist wreathed in dark-purple flames toward Xiao Tianhao's head.
Xiao Tianhao neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his enormous stone arm and took the punch head-on. With a thunderous boom, fist and arm collided, scattering flames in every direction and igniting even the surrounding air.
At the same time, a black-robed man merged with a leopard Demon Spirit launched a surprise attack from the side. Moving as swiftly as a black shadow, he clawed at Xiao Tianhao's waist and abdomen.
Xiao Tianhao reacted quickly, shifting his body slightly and sweeping out with a massive claw. The black-robed man could not dodge in time and was struck in the shoulder. He flew away like a kite with its string cut, crashing into a distant tree trunk and smashing through several more trees before finally coming to a stop. Blood poured from his mouth without cease, and before long, his head slumped to one side and he stopped breathing.
The other Dark Guild members also closed in, their punches and kicks raining down on the weak points of Xiao Tianhao's body.
Although the Behemoth Rock Beast Demon Spirit he had merged with this time possessed formidable defenses, these Dark Guild members were no pushovers. Every one of them was a full major rank above him, and the Demon Spirits they had merged with had all been at least Black Gold rank when alive. Their attacks were far from weak.
Ghost Fiend was especially dangerous, with his strength as a Black Gold Five-Star Demon Spirit Master combined with his Bloodthirsty Ghost Demon. Though he could not inflict fatal wounds on Xiao Tianhao, he still left him with plenty of minor injuries.
"Behemoth Heaven-Rending Claw!"
Xiao Tianhao roared and swung his enormous claws. They had undergone an earth-shaking transformation, doubling in size and radiating a pale-yellow glow, with a fierce aura emanating from them.
He lashed out continuously in every direction, sending everyone who approached flying. Shouts and crashes mingled as the battle reached a fever pitch.
At the sight, Ghost Fiend's eyes turned blood-red. He gathered his power again, preparing to unleash an even stronger attack.
"Demon Ghost's Wrath!"
Two red laser beams shot from his eyes and struck Xiao Tianhao. They pierced his stone armor and hit the flesh beneath, leaving two bloody holes that trickled blood.
By this point, after a prolonged fierce battle, no fewer than five Dark Guild members had died at Xiao Tianhao's hands, but he had also suffered considerable injuries.
Just as everyone continued fighting, their attention fixed on Xiao Tianhao, a cloud of dark-green mist appeared behind a Black Gold expert from the Dark Guild. Then a white-haired figure with long, scythe-like blades extending from the backs of his hands appeared out of thin air and swiftly slashed at the Black Gold Demon Spirit Master's neck. His head immediately fell to the ground, blood gushing from his neck.
It was Nie Li. After taking Xiao Ning'er to the Winged Dragon Family, he had returned. Catching his target unprepared, he had successfully ambushed and killed a Black Gold Demon Spirit Master.
Nie Li was still only Silver Five-Star at this point and would have been almost useless in a head-on battle. He could only resort to tactics like these.
After killing his target with a single strike, Nie Li's figure melted back into the darkness.
And so, Xiao Tianhao fought head-on, drawing their attention, while Nie Li continually harried them from behind.
An hour passed.
The Dark Guild lost another three Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters. Ghost Fiend stomped and raged like thunder, but there was nothing he could do.
He gave the order to retreat.
The Dark Guild members withdrew deeper into the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range.
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