Joining Forces, Each with His Own Designs

Ji An was pondering how to efficiently hunt down the myriad Myriad Phenomena in the perilous Prison Mountain Great Marsh when a sudden shout from behind abruptly interrupted his thoughts.

He frowned slightly, stopped the Void-Escaping Boat as instructed, and landed outside the boat in a flash. His face showed just the right amount of doubt and vigilance, and his clear gaze fell on Jinchenzi who was chasing after him, with the unique caution of a young man.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what brings you here?" Ji An asked in a calm tone, feigning ignorance, as if he had never noticed the other party's presence following him.

Jinchenzi's face was beaming with a warm smile. In a few breaths, he appeared a short distance in front of Ji An, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Haha, Ji An, I am Jinchenzi. I already witnessed your prowess at the Guest-Welcoming Peak of the Red Dragon Mountain Range. This Prison Mountain Great Marsh is extremely dangerous, teeming with powerful demons, and even more so with treacherous, shattered spaces that harbor deadly dangers. Although you are exceptionally talented, you are venturing alone, and ultimately, like me, you are outnumbered and outmatched."

He paused, then, with his eyes fixed on Ji An's expression, continued to persuade him, "Why don't we join forces? We can look out for each other and be more confident in searching for the great demon and dealing with any crises. This trial requires us to survive for three months and bring back the demon's skull. If we work together, our efficiency will definitely increase, and it will be much safer."

Upon hearing this, Ji An feigned contemplation, as if carefully weighing the pros and cons. He glanced at Jinchenzi's seemingly sincere face, but the undisguised greed deep in his eyes was impossible to hide. He sneered inwardly, thinking that this old fox's plan was nothing more than to use him to complete the trial, and then kill him and steal his treasure afterward.

However, that's what he thought too.

Although he was confident he could complete the trial alone, why would he refuse a free henchman offered to him?

After a moment, Ji An slowly nodded, his tone hesitant. "What you say makes some sense. This Great Wilderness Swamp is extremely dangerous and unpredictable, and I am not entirely confident either—"

"Since Fellow Jinchenzi has invited me, I will respectfully accept. However, my strength is meager, and I will need your guidance." He deliberately acted as a naive newcomer, and with his still-youthful physique from breaking through to the Xiantian too early, he appeared even more immature and vulnerable.

Upon seeing this, Jinchenzi was overjoyed, his smile growing even brighter. He exclaimed, "Good! Good! Ji An indeed straightforward. If we travel together, we will surely succeed!" But inwardly, he sneered, "He's just an inexperienced kid. No matter how talented he is, he's easily fooled."

Ji An wore an innocent smile and warmly invited, "In that case, Fellow Jinchenzi, please board my flying boat, and we will go together to find our target."

"Very well, thank you, young friend!" Jinchenzi feigned gratitude, and with a flicker of his figure, he and Ji An landed inside the Void-Escaping Boat. In his heart, however, he thought to himself: This kid has indeed taken the bait very easily.

The protective shield of the boat closed, and with a slight thought, Ji An sent a silver-gray Flowing Light across the sky once more, flying towards the depths of the Great Wilderness Swamp.

As soon as the flying boat stabilized, Ji An, like a smug little boy finally finding an opportunity to show off his beloved toy, boasted with a hint of pride, "Senior Jinchenzi, what do you think of my flying boat? Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you, it's incredibly powerful!"

Jinchenzi was plotting how to extract Ji An's secrets when he heard this, and immediately changed his expression to one of admiration, saying, "Oh? It certainly seems to possess inner brilliance; its speed must be extremely fast?"

"It's more than just fast!" Ji An deliberately made a sharp turn in the flying boat, almost causing Jinchenzi to lose his balance. "This 'Void-Escaping Boat' is a treasure I obtained with great effort. When fully activated, its speed is comparable to the full-speed escape of Myriad Phenomena Perfection Manifestations realm!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly urged the flying boat to accelerate. The boat seemed to merge into the surrounding clouds and mist, and in an instant, it swept past several steep mountain peaks. Some of the flying demons below only saw a blur, and could not even see the shape of the boat clearly.

Although Jinchenzi had anticipated this, personally experiencing the speed that far surpassed his own only fueled his burning greed. He exclaimed repeatedly, "Incredible! Incredible! To possess such a speed-enhancing magic weapon at the Violet Palace realm—young friend, you are truly blessed!"

"You flatter me, senior." Ji An scratched his head, feigning embarrassment, and smoothly changed the subject, subtly inquiring about Jinchenzi's background and strength. Both harbored their own ulterior motives, yet outwardly they chatted amiably, their relationship growing increasingly "harmonious."

Under Ji An's control, the silver-gray flying boat sped through the skies above the Prison Mountain Great Marsh.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in Jinchenzi's eyes. He pointed to a massive mountain shrouded in thick, dark green demonic clouds and said in a deep voice, "Ji An, look at that mountain. How about we choose it?"

Ji An looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the mountain peak was shrouded in demonic clouds, a dark and oppressive mass. (Using the "Thunder God Eye")

With his supernatural abilities, he had already discerned the aura within the mountain peak—the strongest among them was merely at the mid-stage of the Myriad Phenomena.

"Good! Senior, you have excellent judgment! This is the one! Let's go down and meet this Demon King!" Ji An feigned excitement, his tone carrying a hint of youthful impulsiveness.

The two quickly disembarked from the Void-Escaping Boat – high-altitude attacks would be too conspicuous, and they needed to first investigate the specific situation inside the mountain.

Standing on a desolate field, gazing at the precipitous mountains ahead, Ji An, thanks to "Thunder God Eye," already had a thorough understanding of the distribution of power within the mountains.

"Ji An, from what I observe, the strongest being on this Demon Mountain is no more than a Ten Thousand Elephant Demon. Although I do not know its exact combat strength, if the two of us join forces, we can easily escape even if we encounter Myriad Phenomena Perfection cultivator," Jinchenzi analyzed in a deep voice, though he had already planned in his heart to have Ji An lead the charge.

Ji An nodded respectfully, "I will follow Senior Jinchenzi's instructions." In his perception, there was only one late-stage Myriad Phenomena Great Demon on this Demon Mountain, plus a dozen or so Violet Palace Demons, the rest were all Xiantian Lesser Demons, posing no threat to the two of them.

"Then let's sneak up the mountain and catch them off guard," Jinchenzi said in a low voice.

"Walk!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures moved like ghosts, rapidly approaching the mountain peak shrouded in dark green demonic clouds.

The closer you get to the mountain peak, the stronger the pungent, savory odor in the air becomes, mixed with the strong smell of alcohol, the aroma of roasted meat, and bursts of noise.

Climbing up the steep mountain wall, the two successfully avoided the simple array around the mountain peak with the help of Ji An's "Thunder God Eye" and silently reached the edge of a huge platform near the top of the mountain.

A rugged stone palace stands on the platform, built against the mountain. The square outside the palace is now brightly lit and bustling with noise—no, it's bustling with the noise of demons!

In the center of the square, several huge bonfires burned, each with a whole demonic beast on top, dripping oil and sizzling. Nearly a hundred transformed demonic creatures sat around them, the weakest of whom were at least in the Xiantian stage of the Innate Realm. They were all different in appearance: some had beast heads on their heads, while others still had scales and fur on their bodies. They were drinking wildly from huge wine jars, tearing at bloody chunks of flesh, and their loud laughter and shouts were deafening.

On the high platform of the stone palace directly north of the square, sits the master of this place – the Azure-Scaled King.

This demon was extremely burly, standing like an iron tower, over ten feet tall. Its arms were covered with rough, dark green scales that gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the campfire. Its face was ferocious and terrifying, its huge, bell-like eyes flashing with a fierce red light, and a pair of curved, knife-like bronze horns on its forehead, adding to its savage and menacing aura.

At this moment, he was sitting on a stone seat covered with a complete tiger skin, tearing into a charred, roasted animal leg with one hand, while holding a large stone basin filled with murky liquor in the other. Several scantily clad men surrounded him...

A seductive succubus was carefully massaging his shoulders and legs, her face full of fawning smiles.

"Haha! My minions, drink! Today is my birthday, so let's all have a good time!" The Azure-Scaled King casually tossed the beast leg, which had been gnawed down to the bone, onto the head of a little demon below, causing the demons to burst into laughter.

He raised the stone basin and roared at the demons in the square, "Tomorrow, I'll go to that Black Wind Demon King and exchange some human cultivators for a feast. We demons will get a share!"

"May Your Majesty be mighty!"

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty!"

"Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!"

"Eating people! Eating people!"

The demons below roared in response, brandishing all sorts of implements and shouting wildly, creating an atmosphere of Extreme Point frenzy.

Ji An and Jinchenzi took in the scene before them, their eyes instantly turning cold.

"The Azure-Scaled King's true form should be a monstrous crocodile demon or a dragon-like creature. His aura is indeed at the late stage of the Myriad Phenomena Manifestations realm," Jinchenzi transmitted his voice. "The female demons beside him are all at the Violet Palace level, and among the minions in the plaza, there are about ten Violet Palace demons, while the rest are all at the Xiantian, so they are not a cause for concern."

"Senior, let's take action directly. Those Violet Palace Demon Race are no match for us without the aid of Dao Soldiers," Ji An replied telepathically, his tone filled with unwavering confidence.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a murderous intent.

"Attack!" Jinchenzi shouted, and with a thought, nine gleaming flying swords instantly appeared beside him.

Whoosh!

The flying swords, like nine roaring ice dragons, carrying a bone-chilling cold, shot straight towards the Azure-Scaled King on the high platform. Each flying sword was Earth Rank magic weapon, and wherever it passed, even the air condensed into fine ice crystals.

"Roar! Enemy attack!" The Azure-Scaled King reacted extremely quickly, roaring out the instant the flying sword struck.

He instantly shoved aside the female demon beside him, and his body, already over ten feet tall, suddenly swelled, covered in dark green scales, transforming into an even more ferocious and enormous crocodile-headed monster. A steel fork wrapped in dark green poisonous mist appeared out of thin air in his hand, carrying immense power as it fiercely swept towards the nine incoming sword lights.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Nine Swords clashed violently with the steel fork, unleashing a burst of piercing light. A violent shockwave swept across the entire plaza, instantly overturning dozens of lesser demons and extinguishing the bonfire.

Jinchenzi followed the path of extreme offense and killing. His Nine Swords flew simultaneously, agile and cunning, instantly suppressing the Azure-Scaled King and forcing him to retreat repeatedly. The Azure-Scaled King swung his steel fork in a dense and impenetrable manner, but he could only barely defend himself, and he was in grave danger.

"What a powerful swordsman!" Azure-Scaled King was shocked. He hadn't expected the newcomer to be so strong. The power of the Nine Swords combined was far beyond that of Myriad Phenomena cultivator. He roared repeatedly, trying to summon his demon subordinates to attack.

"Hold on, senior! I'm coming to your aid!" Ji An's voice rang out at the right moment, Crimsonbright divine power erupted from his body as he shouted, "Law of Heaven and Earth!"

Buzz--!

Ji An's body rapidly expanded under the influence of divine power, instantly transforming into a towering giant nearly three zhang tall, even larger than the Azure-Scaled King. He exuded a terrifying pressure originating from the bloodline of gods and demons, causing all the demons present to feel their hearts tremble.

At the same time, a scorching and violent domain instantly expanded around him.

Boom!

Purple lightning snakes and crimson flames sprang up out of thin air, and the violent power of Thunderfire and fire instantly enveloped the area where the Azure-Scaled King was located—this was Ji An's "Thunderfire" Dao Domain!

Within the domain, the temperature soared, Thunderfire intertwined, constantly scorching and striking the Azure-Scaled King's body, emitting a hissing sound, and puffs of black smoke rose from its dark green scales.

"Damn it! Thunderfire Domain! What a domineering domain!" The Azure-Scaled King felt his divine power circulation slow down, and the divine power shield around him rapidly thinned under the combined attack of the scorching Thunderfire and the Jinchenzi Sword Light. Even worse, the aura emanating from Ji An's three-zhang-tall divine demon true body made him feel an instinctive pressure from the depths of his bloodline.

Upon seeing Ji An's "Thunderfire" domain, Jinchenzi's eyes instantly widened in shock. "A late-stage Violet Palace divine body has actually comprehended the Dao Domain!" He himself had only grasped the true meaning of the Frostfire Minor Dao True Meaning of the Dao.

But this shock was quickly replaced by an even stronger killing intent. "No matter how talented he is, he's still just Violet Palace God-Demon now. Killing such a genius will give me a greater sense of accomplishment! That Void-Escaping Boat and the Essence Liquid will ultimately be mine!"

Thinking this, Jinchenzi fully activated the nine Earth Rank flying swords, and the sword aura suddenly changed. The nine flying swords intertwined and swirled in the air, emitting a chilling aura that could destroy the world.

"Nine Stars Align - Break!"

In an instant, the nine Earth Rank magic swords merged, condensing in the air into a dazzling, enormous ice-blue sword beam, carrying a terrifying chill that could freeze everything, and instantly pierced towards the Azure-Scaled King's vital chest and abdomen.

"No—!" The Azure-Scaled King's pupils constricted as he sensed a deadly threat. He roared and held the steel fork horizontally in front of his chest, pouring his divine power into it recklessly in an attempt to withstand this fatal blow.

Pfft!

The icy blue sword light was unstoppable, instantly tearing through his divine power shield and even piercing through the low- Earth Rank steel fork magic weapon. Its momentum had not diminished, and it pierced deeply into the chest of the Azure-Scaled King, which was covered with thick scales.

This Azure-Scaled King had only cultivated to the late stage of the Myriad Phenomena through the power of his bloodline. He had not even comprehended the True Meaning of the Dao, which was standard for Wanxiang Adept, and was therefore unable to withstand the combined attack of Jinchenzi and Ji An.

Boom!

A terrifying chill erupted within the Azure-Scaled King's body. His massive form stiffened abruptly, and a gaping hole appeared in his chest, spewing out dark green demonic blood mixed with ice shards. Even his shattered internal organs were clearly visible!

The divine power within him still wanted to circulate and repair his body, but Ji An's Thunderfire Domain had already followed closely behind. The violent power of thunder and Thunderfire instantly surged into his body, completely destroying his life force.

The fierce light in the Azure-Scaled King's eyes quickly dimmed, and its massive body crashed backward, slamming heavily to the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

"It's done!" A flash of joy appeared in Jinchenzi's eyes, and the nine flying swords transformed into Flowing Light, flying back to his side and circling around him.

He sneered inwardly, "The Demon King is dead. Next, it's your turn, Ji An! Your Void-Escaping Boat..."

Your Essence Liquid, and the secrets within you, will all be mine—"

Just as Jinchenzi was plotting how to deal with Ji An...

A sudden change occurred!