The Demon King on the right seized an opening and let out a thunderous roar. Leaping forward, he swung the Heavenly Pointing Stick in his hands, the shadow of the stick leaving behind a muffled explosion in its wake.
Zhang Yan remained unhurried. His shoulder shook slightly, and above his head erupted a sixty-zhang long streak of blazing golden fire. It descended with a "scorching hiss," tearing through the air as it swept relentlessly toward the Demon King’s body.
The Demon King initially paid it no mind, but upon contact with the Golden Fire Mysterious Light, it felt as if thousands of blades were rolling and slicing across his form. He immediately felt his skin scorch and sting unbearably, and shock gripped his heart as he realized its ferocity. Hastily trying to evade, he found himself just a fraction too slow, and a layer of skin was stripped clean off his side amidst his agonized screams. Helpless, he retreated swiftly.
Yet the Xuan Guang pressed forward, refusing to let him escape. It pursued relentlessly, forcing the Demon King to raise his Heavenly Pointing Stick in defense. From within the divine weapon emanated a cloud of black smoke, blocking the advancing Xuan Guang.
Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, he stepped back several paces and rapidly activated his Mysterious Skill. His injuries restored instantaneously as if they had never been.
Still, his heart pounded in terror. Secretly he pondered the Daoist’s formidable abilities—beyond the eerie black water orb, even his Xuan Guang was incomprehensibly strong and overbearing, the likes of which he’d never encountered. He wracked his brain to recall the origins of Zhang Yan but could discern nothing.
Meanwhile, the Demon King on the left found himself equally cornered, suppressed by the You Yin Heavy Water and simmering with rage. Summoning his resolve, he fiercely swung his Wave Stirring Masher, propelling aside ten or so drops of the Heavy Water. Leaping out of the encirclement, he roared furiously and took out a piece of Five-Colored Coral Stone, hurling it forcefully at Zhang Yan.
The stone, while small in size, flew with remarkable speed. In mere moments, it was before Zhang Yan. Just as it seemed poised to strike its target, a beam of sword light shot forth from the center of his brow, striking the stone with a resounding "clang" and slicing it apart.
Zhang Yan sneered coldly. His figure transformed into a streaking rainbow, and in the blink of an eye, he soared above the Demon King’s head. With a shout, he summoned a massive black, somber inkstone and hurled it downward with thunderous force.
The Demon King hurriedly raised his Wave Stirring Masher to block. A surge of immeasurable power traveled up his arms, leaving him unable to hold his position in the clouds. Disoriented, he was driven helplessly into the sea, swallowing mouthfuls of seawater.
As he sank nearly fifty zhang below the surface, he regained his breath and unleashed all his strength to heave the inkstone aside. With a leap, he broke through the water’s surface only to see three hundred and sixty-five drops of You Yin Heavy Water descending upon him like a torrential downpour. His expression immediately changed, and he hastily retreated beneath the waves once more.
The other Demon King, witnessing the distressing situation, realized that retreat was no longer an option. With an almighty roar, he charged forward again.
Zhang Yan seemed indifferent to his advance and dispatched another stream of Xuan Guang to greet him.
The Demon King stormed closer, shaking his hands and causing the Heavenly Pointing Stick to emit curling wisps of smoke from both ends. The divine weapon was made to spin like a wheel, driving back the Xuan Guang barring his way. Using his towering stature and long strides, he closed the distance to Zhang Yan within moments.
Feeling triumphant at his unexpected progress, the Demon King’s glee was cut short. Just as he raised the stick for a decisive strike, a streak of sword light descended from the heavens and slashed his shoulder with a loud crack. A deep gash, brutally exposing the bone beneath, instantly marred his flesh. His body tilted, and his grip on the divine weapon faltered.
Quickly employing his Mysterious Skill to seal the wound, he felt an oppressive wave of blistering Fierce Qi manifest around him. Looking left and right, he found himself boxed in by converging beams of Xuan Guang. Certain that he would be trapped and unable to escape if the encirclement closed, his complexion darkened, and he instinctively retreated once again.
On the sea boat, the disciples of the Peng Yuan Sect finally stood up. Watching Zhang Yan standing poised atop the clouds, his appearance serene and unaffected, with sword light dancing, Heavy Water swirling, and Golden Fire Mysterious Light surging dominantly, forcing the two Demon Kings into chaos and disarray, they stared slack-jawed in awe.
Xiu’er, among them, stared in stunned silence too. Only now did she realize she had completely misjudged him. How could such a man be a mere ordinary cultivator? Even those so-called paragons of her memory were utterly insignificant compared to him.
When Miss Shan had been captured earlier, Xiu’er felt as though the heavens had crumbled. Now, witnessing a glimmer of hope at last, she wished deeply for Zhang Yan to display even greater strength. In the depths of her heart, however, she couldn’t help but resent his delay in taking action.
The two Demon Kings grew increasingly anxious as the battle progressed. Although they were merely avatars of the Jiu Kui Demon King, each was armed with divine weapons and had several formidable Dharma techniques to rely upon. However, most of their skills could only be deployed within five or six zhang distances, leaving Zhang Yan to constrain their proximity. Despite their untapped abilities, facing Zhang Yan proved futile as his tunneling light continuously evaded pursuit, moving dozens of zhang away instantly, before pushing them back into submission, leading them to fight with mounting frustration.
Their disadvantage stemmed largely from the lack of suitable Dharma Treasures at hand. The Yin Transformation Furnace remained fixed in the air, and the Five-Colored Coral Stone had been struck down by the sword ball. They had no opportunity to retrieve their weapons.
Although Miss Shan possessed the Binding Phoenix Rope, the Tai Hao Sect’s Dharma treasures required specific mantras to wield, rendering them useless to the Demon Kings. As such, they struggled to conceive any means to overcome Zhang Yan and were forced to endure a bitter standoff, betting on exhausting Zhang Yan’s Qi power over time.
For Zhang Yan, this was his first encounter with cultivators specializing in Power Cultivation since advancing to the Xuan Guang Realm. He realized that no matter how fierce their injuries, these Demon Cultivators showed absolutely no signs of fatigue and could recover instantly from severe wounds.
He planned meticulously, understanding that defeating such opponents required a single decisive strike; otherwise, no matter how many blows he landed, it would be ineffective.
Narrowing his gaze, he cast a glance toward the Peng Yuan Sect disciples aboard the sea boat and recognized that this was not an appropriate location for such a battle. Determined to maintain the current stalemate, he gradually shifted the confrontation away, luring the Demon Kings toward a secluded and uninhabited terrain where he could end things definitively.
...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)