Chapter 92 - Demon King is Captured!
The four thin beams of light shot down from the sky. They left no trails of smoke, no thundering roars, and no grand displays of fire. They were silent, condensed streaks of brilliant gold and deep violet, carrying a faint grey thread of Chaos Qi at their core.
Mu Bairong held his breath from high in the sky from Heaven Point, his gaze locked on the four streaks.
The Armoured Hell Behemoth King did not register the threat until the beams pierced its body. The four needles of compressed law flame shot through its heavy obsidian-like crystalline plates, piercing the armor one by one in four points near its core.
There was no explosion. Instead, a high-pitched, sizzling hiss cut through the wind. The needles of the Yin-Yang Origin Flame Sword plunged directly into the beast’s body, dissipating into its flesh and vaporizing the dark corruption.
The Behemoth King’s massive body stiffened. Its colossal wings froze in the middle, and its huge claws dug into the mud. A low, gut-wrenching groan of agony escaped its throat. It was not a roar to challenge them, but a muffled, heavy sound that vibrated deep through the earth as it felt a sharp, piercing pain. The Yin Yang and Chaos energy was tearing through its insides.
The purple cold corruption, which had driven the Demon King into a violent frenzy, met the dual extremes of the Yin Yang Origin Flame and started to dissolve into dark vapor.
On the ground, the battle had reached its limits.
Elder Mu Bairong stood at the Heaven Point in the sky, his face drenched in sweat. His eyes were wide as he poured every drop of his Nascent Soul Qi into the Heaven Point restraints, his temple veins bulging under his skin. He was fighting a losing battle to keep the Heaven Point locked.
On the East side, Elder Han Chen was in no better state. The general pressed his palms against the mud, his teeth gritting hard. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the earth, as he forced his earth-attribute Qi to reinforce the array. Every thrash of the beast sent backlash directly into his meridians, threatening to tear his body apart.
At the left node, Elder Lie’s face was flushed a dangerous shade of red. His Vermilion Flame Qi burned in bursts to maintain the boundary barrier against the beast’s violent wind-tempests.
Next to him, Ji Han clung to the runic chains anchoring the binding array. He poured his lightning element into the links to keep the restraints locked around the beast.
Further back, Wang Tian leaned heavily on his Broken Star Sword. The backlash from the Sword Calls Sword technique was raging through his body, making his hands shake. Lin Yao stood beside him, her face pale as she supported both of their weight, her eyes fixed on the sky with absolute trust.
Then, the relief hit.
As soon as the flames dissolved into the beast’s body, the confusion in the Behemoth King’s eyes began to fade. The dark, oppressive aura receded, replaced by a dull sense of exhaustion. Thick black smoke billowed from its nostrils, dispersing into the air. Its wings drooped, the massive feathers dragging in the dirt. Its dense muscles, once behaving like iron boulders, trembled and went limp.
The violent thrashing that had threatened to tear the Heaven and Earth Binding Formation was cut in half, bringing instant relief to the formation line.
The rapid vibration of the runic chains in Ji Han’s grip suddenly died down, the crackling lightning element reduced to a steady hum.
Mu Bairong felt the crushing pressure on his Nascent Soul vanish. The bulging veins on his temples receded, and he let out a ragged breath, coughing dryly.
At the node, Elder Lie’s face returned to normal as the barrier stabilized. Han Chen’s hands finally relaxed against the dirt, the backlashing Qi subsiding.
Above them, Su Ming hovered in the air.
His body was trembling. Channeling even a single thread of Chaos Qi while compressing his Yin-Yang Flame had drained his newly formed Nascent Soul. His body burned with a dull ache, and cold sweat dripped down his face. His right hand, still holding the posture of the strike, shook uncontrollably.
He could not show it. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the physical tremor.
’I cannot let this chance go to waste.’
Su Ming’s fingers moved in a blur, executing a sequence of complex hand signs. He drew upon the last reserves of his Qi, ignoring the burning sensation in his meridians, and pointed toward the ground.
Colossal silver runic chains erupted from the stone soil, almost mirroring the Heaven Point. They burst forth with a metallic ring, wrapping around the Behemoth King’s legs, torso, and tail.
The beast made one final, weak attempt to lift its heavy head. It let out a tired huff, but the twin anchors of the Heaven and Earth Binding Formation held steady. Its massive, mountain-like body was pulled down, slamming into the Earth with a dull thud. The impact vibrated through the pass one last time before settling into complete stillness.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Mu Bairong descended from the sky, his robes stained with dust and blood. He inspected the spatial runes of the chains, confirming the lock was stable.
He swept his sleeve and projected his voice across the battlefield.
"The Demon King is captured!"
Near the vanguard line, Ji Han stood frozen, eyes locked on Su Ming’s hovering figure. He had pushed himself to the limit to capture a lower Demon Lord, yet Su Ming had just suppressed a Demon King with a single strike.
He stared at the silver chains, his pride wounded. The realization of the vast, unbridgeable gap left him with a cold, hollow feeling. They were supposed to be the young geniuses of the sect, yet here, their standings felt more distant than ever.
But the common disciples did not care about factional rivalry. They only saw the beast bound and the valley saved.
A deafening cheer of joy erupted from the exhausted disciples as the dust settled.