The one who had just sighed stood out strikingly amidst the fog and frost that filled the air. Perhaps it was because he was constantly enveloped in a thin veil of shadow, like a massive cloak, which covered most of his body. Upon closer inspection, the shadow seemed to be alive, subtly squirming even when its owner stood perfectly still. Its edges were constantly shifting, occasionally emitting black smoke that morphed into various shapes in the void.
He descended slowly, his gaze fixed on the ashen figure still trapped in the cliff wall, deliberately lowering his voice, "You saw it all, didn't you?"
In response, a series of sharp, piercing shrieks echoed from the ashen figure trapped in the cliff. To the average ear, these sounds held no meaning, but it was clear that he understood, "You're saying I'm powerful? Your words make no sense... or are you saying you can't understand human language?"
The ashen figure let out another series of screeches, which were abruptly cut off. Rocks and dust flew from the cliff wall as the ashen figure leapt to safety, landing dozens of feet away. Otherwise, he would have been split in two by the nearly sixty-foot-long crack that had just embedded itself in the cliff wall.
The one who had attacked chuckled softly, "So, you're trying to say you're from the 'Moon Demon' clan, right?"
The so-called Moon Demons are a highly prominent advanced group among demons, residing in the perilous lands within the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion - the "Eight Suffering Underworld". They have a vast influence, with their strongest members throughout history being crowned as the "Great Underworld King", a significant force within the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion.
Of course, this information is not commonly known, even among the top cultivators in the Cultivation World, but the situation between these two is different.
The one who had the upper hand laughed even deeper, "Keep pretending! I'm watching you closely!"
Under the tangible and intangible pressure of his opponent, the ashen figure's chest heaved, unable to utter a single word.
But his silence didn't mean the other would let him off.
The shadow that had just retracted suddenly expanded, covering a vast space of three miles. The source of this expansion was the shadowy cloak draped over him.
The ashen figure knew better than to underestimate his opponent and quickly retreated.
However, no matter how fast he was, how could he possibly fly three miles away in an instant? Once again, his vision darkened as he was enveloped by the shadow. Just as he was about to repeat his previous trick and escape in the form of distorted light waves, a hand emerged from the black mist and reached out towards him.
With a strange cry, he thrust out his long arm.
"Nice swordsmanship!"
The enemy's voice seemed to echo from every corner of the shadowy area. The hand reaching out to him disappeared, replaced by a punch that landed squarely on the ashen figure's face. The blow distorted half of his face and sent him flying even further than the kick he had received earlier.
"Since when do the demons of the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion use swords? This swordplay is quite interesting... Ah, you want to say this isn't swordsmanship... not swordsmanship, are you saying I'm blind?"
Amid the sudden roar, the ashen figure, who was still reeling from the punch, shook violently. The second and third waves of terrifying attacks silently rolled in from the fog and frost, hitting him solidly. The successive blows, compounded by their combined force, resulted in the sound of breaking bones. The ashen figure was instantly compressed into a ball, piercing through the fog and clouds, and flew out more than ten miles.
By the time he had finally managed to stop himself, his powerful enemy was already waiting for him in the distance, shaking his wrist as if the recoil from the punch was quite substantial.
"A sword energy barrier? Otherwise, I would have turned you into a rotten persimmon with one punch... Ah, speaking of which, how long has it been since I tasted the green persimmons from Yin Mountain?"
His enemy's train of thought moved too quickly for the ashen figure to keep up with, so he simply gave up and focused on catching his breath.
In the void, the raging wind still lacked a determined direction, howling back and forth in the frigid mist. Occasionally, it would intertwine, giving birth to powerful tornadoes. Some living beings, unable to escape in time, were swept up by the storm, pulled into the depths of the surging cold tide, their usual ferocity and strength nowhere to be seen.
After merely a few tumbles, these creatures were frozen by the even more severe cold currents in the depths. They danced briefly in the void, only to be torn into shreds. Each fragment was glazed with ice, and under mutual collisions, they all disintegrated into tiny fragments, blending into the increasingly chaotic cold tide.
Under such conditions, and in such a pitiful state, a grey-white figure still hovered in mid-air, resisting the surrounding surging cold currents. Its nearly nine-foot-tall body almost merged with the mist. The occasional glimpse of its skin revealed a unique color, indicating incredibly smooth skin, so smooth that it seemed unreal. Although its facial features had been distorted by heavy punches, it still looked like a human face, with a noticeable concave surface and pupils glowing with a dark green light.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
At this moment, he was coughing up blood - though it was not blood, but a thick, grey-white liquid.
The other figure also noticed his appearance, and under the shadow of his cloak, he let out a sound of admiration. "Indeed, a fine vessel you have there. You've learned well from the Moon Demon, not only in appearance, but also in action and speech, even in this... When I first met the 'Moon Demon', I was quite taken aback. Damn it, while others cough up blood, what the hell do they cough up?"
In response to this commentary, the grey-white figure could only remain silent.
But the other figure continued to taunt him, "What a pity, it's only 'like'. I've spent a hundred years in the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion, forty of those in the Eight Suffering Underworld. I've killed thousands of Moon Demons. The moment they wag their tails, I know what kind of shit they're about to pull. Why don't you give it a try?"
Ignoring the grey-white figure's reaction, the man laughed uproariously, clapping his hands and slapping his knees, almost out of breath from laughter.
The grey-white figure remained silent.
At this moment, a loud noise echoed from the distant void. Although it was neither connected to the sky above nor the ground below, it still sent a tremor through the area. Several miles away, the towering cliff wall was slightly trembling, rocks tumbling down, as if it could collapse at any moment. As the violent shaking intensified, the cold in the air increased. Hail began to fall in the Sky Rift Valley, countless ice pellets hitting the two figures in the void, bouncing off with a clattering sound.
"So, I say there's a big problem now."
Seeing this situation, the man under the shadow of the cloak sighed again, "A few more tunnels in the Sky Rift Valley wouldn't matter, just give both sides a chance to move around more, to prevent alienation from lack of interaction. I don't care about triggering this Underworld Cold Tide, countless creatures in the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion have done the same. But now, with the cold tide surging and the collision of Primordial Qi from both sides, what if there's a cataclysm, a transformation of mountains and rivers? Would this Heavenly Tribulation Retribution fall upon me?
"Back then, it wouldn't have mattered, but now my cultivation level has greatly diminished. How can I resist if a tribulation comes?"
As he worried, the grey-white figure was obedient, allowing him to ramble on, keeping its mouth shut to avoid further beatings. However, the man simply wouldn't leave him alone:
"And you, this sly figure who hides his head but shows his tail, you're clearly up to no good. If you spread rumors about me being the culprit, making it known to everyone and attracting many powerful enemies, what then...
"What then indeed!"
The moment the sigh rose again, the grey-white figure suddenly shot downwards. After descending about ten feet, it transformed into the twisted light wave as before, cutting into the hail-filled sky, clearly intending to flee once more.
The enemy from behind, of course, was not going to let him off easily, continuing to spread the shadowy canopy in an attempt to regain control over him. Just then, a piercing whistle resounded above the cliff wall, the sound growing louder as it approached:
"Take this!"
The whistle momentarily distracted the man, causing him to shift his gaze, "Another accomplice... hm, Amritakundalin's Method?"
Against the biting chill, what cascaded down from the cliff wall was a layer of fiercely burning flames. The flames were deep black, and each billowing tongue of fire vaguely assumed the form of a black serpent, hissing as it merged with the crackling of the flames, creating a highly piercing sound wave that swept over.
The man chuckled at the sight, "The fire control is quite refined, but what's with that Cultivation Level?"
This wave of Black Flames was, at most, at the Beginning Stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation. Even with the addition of Buddhist Guardian Divine Power, it was completely beneath his notice. Even if he were to stand still, these Black Flames might not be able to break through his True Form Demon Body.
He narrowed his eyes, looking at the overconfident figure on the cliff wall, "Which family's little Monk is this?"
But then, the same voice from before suddenly blurted out, "Boss Huangquan sends her regards to Brother Liu!"
This inexplicable phrase, carried within the Black Flames, came rushing towards him.
At this, the man seemed to freeze in place, hovering motionlessly in mid-air, allowing the Black Flames to sear his body. It was his shadowy canopy that acted on its own, rolling up in the air and swallowing the Black Flames.
Struck by the attack, or rather, the words, the "little Monk" who had caught up from behind shrank back, his body disappearing deep into the cliff wall, using Earth Escape to make his getaway. The grey shadow didn't care about anything else, shooting along the cliff wall as a ray of light. The reason he had been desperately resisting and staying not far from the cliff wall was to wait for this backup. With this delay, he was now miles away.
Things went even smoother than expected. By the time the man came to his senses, both of them had already made their escape. They were both adept at Hiding and Concealing Techniques, cleanly severing any clues that could be used to pursue them. Their methods were so cunning, they were beyond ordinary people.
However, the formidable enemy did not show any intention of pursuing them. He simply hovered in front of the cliff wall, muttering to the dark rocks:
"Huangquan, Huangquan..."
He didn't know how many times he repeated the name before he suddenly threw his head back and let out a long howl. In the echo of his howl, the cliff wall within several feet of him exploded with a loud bang, spider-web cracks spreading from the edge of the hole.
Listening to the twists and turns of the howl, it was still those two words:
"Huangquan!"
The final two syllables turned into a thunderous rumble, reverberating and rolling through the canyon, refusing to dissipate.
Even after the echoes had died away, the man fell silent again. During this time, he made no move, but his body relaxed in an unprecedented way, giving the impression that he was calming down, more peaceful than ever before.
After a long while, he turned his head, coming to a conclusion, "It's not that bastard Huangquan, it definitely isn't! Then who is playing games with me? Hmm, I need to investigate thoroughly, yes, thoroughly investigate!"
Then he started laughing, a laughter so chilling that it seemed to freeze the surrounding mist.
At that moment, a streak of firelight, carrying immense heat, shot out from the icy fog several miles away, soaring into the sky, leaving a conspicuous trail in his sight.
************
The character of Brother Chu Jing makes his entrance. This is the first update of the day, during the recommendation period, and we need strong support from our readers. Click, collect, vote, and pile them up layer by layer!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e