Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

The many elder Daoists were all profoundly experienced. After some discussion, they quickly pieced together a general understanding from the information Yun Fei’ang had accidentally revealed.

From there, they assessed the strength of this Demon Ancestor.

Very strong!

But not *that* strong!

He was beatable!

But they needed time!

Gu Zhao’s eyes glinted as he chuckled. "The mere Great Sun Profound Light Celestial Demon Ancestor? He watched his own disciple, the Ink Flood Dragon, die at our hands and could do nothing about it. What makes you think he can do anything to us now?"

"Hmph?" Yun Fei’ang’s gaze turned sharp.

’Heaven-Opening Demon Ancestor? The Demon Scripture I cultivate has the words ’Heaven-Opening’ in its name. Could it be the same person?’

Gu Zhao saw the shocked doubt in Yun Fei’ang’s eyes and couldn’t help but sneer. "Don’t tell me you’ve never even heard your own Demon Venerable’s name?"

"Insolent!" Yun Fei’ang roared. He recalled the demonic silhouette manifesting in his Sea of Consciousness. "The Demon Venerable possesses the Great Sun Illumination and casts spells with eight arms. How could I not know his esteemed name!"

Great Sun Illumination! Eight Arms Spellcasting!

That pretty much confirmed it.

Gu Zhao sneered. "Is that so? Then why didn’t your Demon Ancestor tell you about our methods, or the Celestial Gods backing us? Why did he let you stumble in here blindly like a headless fly?"

Rage surged within Yun Fei’ang. The Demonic Qi was assaulting his mind, clouding his Divine Soul and throwing his thoughts into chaos.

"The Demon Ancestor told me to kill you, so I will kill you!" Yun Fei’ang shrieked. With a powerful beat of his wings, a boundless wave of golden-black Sword Light swept out, blocking the Thunderbolt and Wind and Fire attacks.

"It seems the Demon Ancestor didn’t give him any inside information," Taoist Ming Yu remarked with a hint of regret.

"He might have even come here to test us on his own initiative," Taoist Qingwei said, shaking his head.

"Let’s kill him and check out the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace. We might find some clues," Taoist Jing Feng said grimly.

Taoist Yu Zhang nodded. "A fine idea."

"In that case, let’s not waste any more time!" Taoist Shen Hao activated the Copper Bell in his hand and began chanting the Fire Bell Great Curse.

The next moment, the Flowing Gold Fire Bell unleashed an endless torrent of Nanming Li Fire, which coalesced into a blazing sun. It smashed down toward Yun Fei’ang like a falling star.

Yun Fei’ang hissed and roared. With a flap of his wings, he actually gathered the Sword Qi Torrent around himself, forming a golden sphere of sword light that resembled the sun.

BOOM!

With the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array supporting him, Taoist Shen Hao’s attack prevailed, and Yun Fei’ang was sent flying once again.

But as expected of a Great Demon with several thousand years of Dao Practice, despite clashing head-on with several elder Daoists in turn and suffering injuries, his aura didn’t weaken. In fact, it grew even stronger.

"SCREEE-ROAR—"

The cry of the Golden-Winged Roc had become raspy and distorted.

As the sound reached the ears of the elder Daoists, it made them all flinch in discomfort.

"It’s Demonic Sound!"

The next instant, Taoist Shen Hao shook the Golden Bell in his hand. Meanwhile, Taoist Jing Hong of Dragon Gate Cave, who was assisting Taoist Yan Song, went a step further and took out a suona, immediately beginning to play.

It had to be said that while Taoist Shen Hao’s Cultivation was higher, when it came to the influence of musical sound, Taoist Jing Hong’s suona reigned supreme.

A vast, resounding note from the suona, incredibly piercing, shot straight to the heavens, instantly suppressing the Demonic Sound that was invading their minds.

With the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array providing Magical Power support through the Mutual Generation of the Five Elements and the Flowing of the Eight Gates, Taoist Jing Hong played his suona with the ease of a fish in water, each note filled with vigorous power.

"DEE DEE DEE—"

The sound of the suona not only suppressed the Demonic Sound in the elders’ ears but also contained a Dao rhythm. It incorporated the melody of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," a nimble and rousing tune that made the Daoists’ spellcasting feel smoother.

Yunyang said excitedly, "Martial Uncle Jing Hong can give us buffs!"

Nearby, Taoist Jing Fa heard this and smiled. "And that’s not all."

As soon as he spoke, the sound of Taoist Jing Hong’s suona swelled with a thunderous momentum. It didn’t just suppress the incoming Demonic Sound; it counter-attacked, sending piercing notes stabbing into Yun Fei’ang’s Sea of Consciousness.

"Aaargh!"

Yun Fei’ang let out a miserable scream.

And while the suona’s music left him reeling, his Divine Soul momentarily dazed, two streaks of sword light—one black, one white—appeared silently beneath him.

CLANG!

The ring of swords flashed past, and Yun Fei’ang’s golden blood splattered into the void.

Taoist Qingyuan used "Nesting Bird Returning to the Forest," while Taoist Qingwei executed "Black Dragon Swings its Tail." Their two swords combined, their momentum forming a Tai Chi pattern that tore a chunk of flesh from Yun Fei’ang’s body.

The sharp-eyed elder Daoists saw that the spot where Yun Fei’ang was injured had already turned black.

"He’s on the verge of transforming into a Demon Body."

After the two great battles against the Netherfire Sect Leader and the Ink Flood Dragon, the group now had some understanding of those who practiced Demon Techniques.

Cultivating a Demon Technique wasn’t just about one’s mind falling to the demonic path; the Demonic Qi could truly alter the very fabric of existence and transform a person’s physical form into a Demon Body.

With their abilities, they could only dispel the Demonic Qi from a specific area. However, people, animals, plants, and even the very earth and stones that had been saturated by Demonic Qi were nearly impossible to restore.

Yun Fei’ang shrieked again and soared into the sky.

...

「Three days later.」

On White Tiger Cliff, Taoist Xu Ning had been watching for a long time with Jingyi, Changyi, and the others.

Xue Bingbing had also returned with Zhan Qing and was staring in shock at the battlefield above the Vermilion Bird Forest to the south.

Although they couldn’t see inside the array, they could feel the might of the Five-Colored Thunderclouds generated by the Mountain Protection Array overhead.

The scene was like something out of a poem: "Black clouds bear down on the city, threatening to crush it." Even watching from afar, Xue Bingbing could feel the Snow Maiden Demon Power within her trembling uncontrollably.

’If I didn’t know those Five-Colored Thunderclouds weren’t aimed at me, I probably would have fled long ago.’

"Where are Martial Uncle Huai Yi and the others?" Jingyi asked.

Besieging Yun Fei’ang was a major undertaking. Even Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa, who were usually aloof from worldly affairs, had come to join the action and strengthen the array. So why were Taoist Huai Yi, Taoist Gao Yue, and the others nowhere to be seen?

"They’ve already made their move at the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace in Shanzhou," Taoist Xu Ning said with a smile and a shake of his head. "If they came here, they’d only get to drink the soup. But in Shanzhou, they can eat the meat."

Changyi’s and Yangshuo’s eyes flickered.

Zhan Qing asked, "Did my senior martial uncle and master go as well?"

Besides Taoist Shen Hao and Zhan Qing, the Sanmao Mountain Shangqing Sect also had Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan, who had been traveling the world and hadn’t been heard from in a long time.

"They went to Shanzhou with Zhi Qing and Zhi Xiu from the Celestial Master’s Mansion," Taoist Xu Ning confirmed with a nod.

They came in the same group as Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing of Zhenwu Mountain.

Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing had already had a realm breakthrough. As the orthodox, direct disciples of the Talismanic Three Mountains, they naturally had to step up as well.

"What’s the hurry? The Cloud Celestial Divine Palace isn’t the only one committing evil deeds in Shanzhou."

Taoist Xu Ning said lightly, "Once the Sect Leader and the other senior Daoists kill Yun Fei’ang and establish their might in Shanzhou, it will be safe for you all to go."

As Taoist Xu Ning finished speaking, the Five-Colored Thunderclouds shrouding the sky above Vermilion Bird Forest diminished in power and began to gradually disperse.

Then, the figures of more than ten elder Daoists appeared in mid-air, each holding their respective magical artifacts as they retracted their auras.

At the same time, the residual Taoist True Qi, Roc Demon Power, and ferocious Demonic Qi within the array began to drift out, allowing the onlookers on the mountain to feel a trace of the peril from the great battle.

"Is it over?" The onlookers’ eyes lit up.

Gu Zhao appeared before them and nodded calmly. "It’s over."

"Where’s the body?" Xue Bingbing asked curiously. After all, he was a great demon several thousand years old.

Yunyang appeared right behind him, raised an eyebrow, and gestured in all directions. "Everywhere."