Chapter 148: Fierce Battle

Several hours later.

Inside the desolate tower.

There stood a three-zhang-square purple-crystal and white-jade canopied bed, its layered light gauze curtains woven with lifelike dragons and phoenixes in golden thread, exuding a vibrant spiritual aura.

"Many thanks to the True Man for your life-saving grace."

From within the curtains came a slightly husky, melodious voice.

"Meeting is by fate... Besides, I have a favor to ask of you."

The man's voice was warm and smooth as he spoke slowly.

The woman was silent for a moment before asking, "What does the True Man wish of me?"

The man said, "How about gifting me one of the Separation-Hatred Heavenly Demons you have refined?"

The demonic rune avatars were tied to the foundation of one's Dao; the loss of even a single one was not only extremely difficult to refine, but would also damage one's very roots and hinder their path of cultivation.

Hesitating slightly, the woman asked, "Normally Jiang Li should not refuse a request from the True Man, but... this Separation-Hatred Heavenly Demon is tied to Jiang Li's future Dao path. To lose one would be truly irreparable. Might the True Man consider another condition?"

The man smiled and said, "I do not wish to take your Separation-Hatred Heavenly Demon for nothing. Here is a Barrier-Breaking Pill, which is of immense help for Dao-Foundation cultivators breaking through to the Golden Core stage..."

With that, a trace of medicinal fragrance filled the chamber.

The woman gasped in surprise, "This pill... is indeed extraordinary. Very well, I shall make the trade with the True Man."

Pausing, she asked again, "What does the True Man want with the Separation-Hatred Heavenly Demon?"

The man replied leisurely, "Merely to refine a long-lost magical treasure."

The woman said nothing more.

A moment later, the two of them dressed and stepped down from the jade bed.

...

In the void.

He Miao saw Pang Yue and Jiang Li emerge side by side, approaching him.

Jiang Li cast a cold glance at him, then nodded to Pang Yue in acknowledgment. A surge of spiritual light erupted from her body, and she flashed away into the distance.

The direction she headed toward was precisely the outer-territory Dao field of the Demonic Rune Sect.

He Miao's expression was composed and tranquil as he said in a deep voice, "Senior Sister Jiang's misfortune has turned into a blessing this time."

Pang Yue smiled and said, "Let's go. Lead me to take a look at that secret realm."

He Miao nodded slightly.

The two immediately set off, venturing deeper into the void.

* * *

Ten thousand li away.

A pitch-black, magnificent, and gigantic demonic city stood grandly in the void.

Within the demonic city, towering pavilions and lofty halls rose majestically.

Countless heavenly demons roved in and out of the city, resembling a mortal metropolis.

Above the demonic city, the demonic qi condensed into a substance, exceptionally thick and rich.

Yet, bizarrely, the demonic city gave off an aura of withered decay and severed vitality.

Two figures quietly appeared outside the demonic city.

Pang Yue said in astonishment, "It is actually a Tiandu!"

The Tiandu Heavenly Demon ranked sixty-fourth; it was capable of devouring and commanding boundless heavenly demons, evolving into a demonic domain and sealing the void.

However, the Tiandu before them possessed no fluctuations of life, clearly having perished long ago.

He Miao said, "Indeed. During its lifetime, this Tiandu should have been at the Primordial Spirit level, but for some unknown reason it fell here. Its demonic qi has dispersed, and less than one percent remains."

"Even so, this mass of demonic qi is no less inferior to that of a peak Golden Core heavenly demon."

"More importantly, the demonic qi of a Tiandu is pure and matchless. If an ordinary Primordial Spirit heavenly demon can acquire and refine it, it will be of immense benefit to their physical cultivation."

Pang Yue's gaze was profound as he looked at the demonic city. After a moment, he said, "Inside there are eighteen Golden Core heavenly demons, nine Yakshas, and nine ten-colored demonic vines... The rest are all mere Dao Foundation and Qi-consuming ones."

"For you and Jiang Li to escape, it can be considered quite fortunate."

He Miao took half a step back and said in a deep voice, "True Man Pang, if there is nothing else, this disciple will take his leave..."

Pang Yue did not look back as he said, "You have worked hard. You may go!"

"I wish the True Man great harvests."

With those words, He Miao's figure flickered and vanished completely.

Pang Yue took a step forward, his figure abruptly transforming into an invisible sword light that silently descended into the magnificent and vast demonic city.

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

A melodious bell chime echoed within the city.

Following that, Buddha light surged, and the aura of a Golden Core heavenly demon vanished abruptly.

The heavenly demons within the city instantly stirred, swarming toward the place where the Buddha light had appeared.

Yet upon arriving, they found nothing, and thus dispersed with a roar, continuing to roam about the city.

To them, this demonic city was like a cherished sanctuary.

Only a dozen or so Golden Core heavenly demons faintly sensed something amiss and grew vigilant.

Before long, however, the melodious bell chime rang out once more.

Then came another burst of brilliant Buddha light and the chanting of Sanskrit mantras.

The aura of another Golden Core heavenly demon vanished once again.

The sixteen Golden Core heavenly demons let out earth-shaking shrieks, fiercely converging upon the location where the Buddha light had appeared.

Yet...

Still, nothing was found.

The Golden Core heavenly demon that had just vanished was a hideous Yaksha standing a hundred zhang tall, yet it had miraculously disappeared in the span of a single breath.

Above the cluster of palaces.

Eight Yakshas and eight hundred-zhang-wide vine balls emitted a terrifying and dreadful demonic intent.

Inside the city.

A streak of invisible sword light quietly wandered, vanishing without a trace.

Half a day later.

The remaining sixteen Golden Core heavenly demons dispersed once again, returning to their respective lairs.

That trace of invisible sword light abruptly appeared within a majestic and grandiose palace.

A Yaksha heavenly demon sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, greedily devouring the pure demonic qi within the demonic city.

The sword light fluttered over gracefully!

Clang!

The bell chime rang out once more.

Dark golden light patterns diffused and expanded, yet they were confined strictly within the interior of the hall.

Instantly, the Yaksha's form froze, and it stared blankly and inexplicably at the void before it.

Following closely.

A golden Buddha manifested.

As the Buddha light washed over, the majestic and boundless Buddha power instantly refined away all the demonic qi of the Yaksha heavenly demon, transforming it into golden Buddha light.

The Yaksha heavenly demon involuntarily plunged into the Buddha wheel behind the golden Buddha.

The Buddha light behind the golden Buddha blazed brilliantly, and the Buddha wheel had already reached six circles!

At that very moment, the roof of the palace shattered violently.

Fifteen astonishing auras lunged forward simultaneously.

Destructive attacks capable of shattering mountains and cleaving ridges, along with multicolored demonic lights, descended upon the crown of the golden Buddha in the blink of an eye.

Clang!

Another bell chime rang out.

Dark golden light patterns expanded.

The fifteen streaks of demonic light instantly froze in the void.

Yet just for a split second, the dark golden light patterns shattered!

However, that golden Buddha had mysteriously vanished without a trace.

The horde of heavenly demons grew intensely furious, venting wildly and frantically destroying all kinds of structures within the city.

Yet before long, those structures restored themselves to their original state automatically.

Over the next few days.

The bell chimes and the golden Buddha frequently appeared.

The number of Golden Core heavenly demons gradually dwindled...

Thirteen... Nine... Five... Three...

When only the last two Yaksha heavenly demons remained, that golden Buddha finally ceased its covert actions.

Instead, it appeared directly before the two heavenly demons, using a vast and boundless ocean of Buddha power to directly suppress and convert the pair of Yaksha heavenly demons.

The Buddha wheel behind the golden Buddha broke through to the twelfth tier!

The golden Buddha sat cross-legged in the sky above the center of the demonic city, enveloped by twelve circles of Buddha light behind it.

Beyond the Buddha light, countless golden lotuses sprouted in the void, and a wave of exotic fragrance rolled forth, assailing the senses!

At this moment, the Immeasurable Light Buddha was transparent throughout, resembling golden colored glass. Countless scriptures flowed within its body, and auspicious light and multicolored radiance filled the surroundings.

The Buddha light illuminated all, turning the entire demonic city into a crimson-gold glass hue, resembling a Buddhist kingdom!

Refuge... Refuge... Refuge...

The mighty Sanskrit chanting descended.

Countless heavenly demons were converted and took refuge, successively plunging into the Immeasurable Bright Realm behind the golden Buddha.

The Buddha wheel behind the golden Buddha spun, its aura soaring step by step.

Having converted so many Golden Core-level heavenly demons, the aura on its body finally broke through to the late Golden Core stage.

The might of the Great Sun Glass Precious Flame Buddha Light was enhanced once again.

Not long after.

The bustling demonic city was swept clean, completely empty.

The Buddha light receded, and the golden Buddha vanished.

Absolute silence pervaded the demonic city.

Pang Yue appeared in the high altitude of the demonic city, his gaze fixed upon a palace in the northern part of the city.

Viewing it through his pupillary arts, that place turned out to be the core nexus of the entire demonic city!

He stepped across the void, walking straight to the doors of the hall, and pushed them open.

Inside the hall stood a nine-tiered dharma altar, atop which hovered a gentle white light.

Pang Yue flashed and appeared at the top of the dharma altar.

There, an exquisite crystal coffin was placed upon the altar.

The coffin was breathtakingly beautiful, and inside lay an exquisitely stunning woman dressed in white, her resting place strewn with fresh flowers.

Her white garments surpassed snow, and her jade-like countenance was dignified, set off by the myriad flowers so that she truly outshone them in beauty.

The beauty of the woman in white was enough to make one's heart beat uncontrollably.

Even with Pang Yue's vast experience with beauties and his immense cultivation, he could not suppress that momentary loss of control in his heart!

"Who is this woman, slumbering in such a place?"

Doubts arose in his heart.

A Primordial Spirit-level Tiandu skeleton... nineteen Golden Core heavenly demons... a crystal coffin... an exquisitely beautiful and noble woman in white...

These unrelated elements were bizarrely linked together.

There was still a faint, almost imperceptible aura on the woman, which was passing through the dharma altar to refine the demonic qi in the city, transforming it into refined spiritual energy to nourish herself.

Pang Yue's heart stirred, and he attempted to retrieve the crystal coffin into his storage pouch, only to discover that this coffin was actually a magical treasure!

And its grade was not low!

The magical treasure possessed a spirit, abruptly emitting a gentle white light that blocked his magic power.

"Fourth rank... or fifth rank?"

Pang Yue's gaze flickered, making him feel all the more that the woman in white had an extraordinary background.

He took out the Primordial Yang Axe, pondered for a moment, let out a soft sigh, and put it away again.

Shortly after.

He walked out of the hall and appeared in the sky above the demonic city.

That crystal coffin still rested quietly upon the dharma altar.

Pang Yue stood tall in the void.

On his left and right, demonic light manifested.

A dark yellow river, a hundred li long, surged forth with roaring waters, rolling onward mightily.

A dilapidated and pitch-black huge bell also quietly appeared.

The two heavenly demons engaged in a whale-like gulping frenzy, devouring the pure demonic qi contained within the demonic city.

The grade of the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon was roughly comparable to that of the Tiandu Heavenly Demon. At this moment, as it devoured and refined the demonic qi, its speed was astonishingly fast, far surpassing the Yakshas and ten-colored demonic vines previously in the city.

The dark yellow river rolled with towering waves, expanding outward at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As for the Time-Space Heavenly Demon, its grade was far above that of the Tiandu Heavenly Demon.

Pang Yue could even sense a trace of "thought" deep within the origin of this demonic rune avatar.

——Disdain.

It was a reluctant, make-do attitude, treating it as better than nothing!

Pang Yue couldn't help but laugh softly.

The main body of the Time-Space Heavenly Demon resembled gold and iron, yet also flesh and blood, with countless runes wriggling endlessly on its surface.

At this moment, after devouring countless streams of pure demonic qi, the runes on the surface of the bell increased by a fraction once more.

Compared to the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon, the Time-Space Heavenly Demon was much smaller in size.

Yet its speed in devouring demonic qi far exceeded that of the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon.

That zhang-wide bell mouth was like a bottomless black hole; every second, a massive torrent of demonic qi poured into it.

Within this gigantic demonic city, the pure demonic qi—which had remained unrefined by various heavenly demons for who knows how long—was now vanishing at an extremely rapid pace.

The towering river transformed by the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon expanded continuously, winding and circling above the demonic city to a length of a full thousand li.

Its realm also rose steadily, reaching the standard of the third turn of the Golden Core.

As for the Time-Space Heavenly Demon, aside from a few more runes on the surface of the bell, there was no other change.

Pang Yue's own cultivation was closely linked to the Time-Space Heavenly Demon avatar. Although his magic power had surged, rivaling many cultivators of the third or even fourth turn of the Golden Core, his realm remained the same as the Time-Space Heavenly Demon's, lingering at the first turn of the Golden Core.

The higher the grade of the heavenly demon, the more profound its accumulation!

Fortunately, he had formed a supreme-grade Golden Core and laid the foundation of his Great Dao with the Time-Space Heavenly Demon; his future cultivation would be practically free of bottlenecks!

He only needed to seek out a large number of high-grade heavenly demons to devour and refine in order to continuously elevate his cultivation.

Coupled with his Golden Core-stage experience from sinking into the heavenly demon illusion for hundreds of years, it was sufficient to lay a solid foundation for him to冲击 Primordial Spirit.

One hour later.

The magnificent and gigantic demonic city grew rotten and decayed, and the structures within the city quietly collapsed and weathered away.

That vast demonic qi had already vanished.

The Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon stretched for a thousand li, winding and coiling as the sound of water rumbled incessantly.

The Time-Space Heavenly Demon transformed into a demonic rune, concealing itself within Pang Yue's body.

In the northern hall of the city.

Inside the crystal coffin, the woman in white frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.

Clack!

The crystal coffin made a soft sound as it slid open.

The woman in white sat up.

A trace of anger flashed across her delicate brows, and her phoenix eyes looked toward the outside of the hall, murmuring softly, "Who is it... disturbing my quiet cultivation..."

She drifted up, walking on a pair of snow-white jade feet, and flew out of the hall.

There, she saw the waters glittering across the sky above the demonic city.

"Yellow Springs?"

The woman was startled.

Following that, she saw a tall and handsome figure amidst the water light.

"It's you?"

That figure nodded politely to her in acknowledgment.

The woman's expression turned icy, and her tone grew abruptly cold, "Do you know what the consequence is of disturbing my quiet cultivation?"

"Those who know nothing are not guilty..."

The man said leisurely.

The woman sneered and shouted, "A mere early-stage Golden Core, yet you dare to be so rude to me. You truly deserve to die!"

As her voice fell, a chilling black shadow manifested behind her, fiercely lunging toward Pang Yue.

"Aren't you also early-stage Golden Core... Eh? No, your divine soul..."

Pang Yue looked up and down at the woman in white, filled with curiosity.

In the blink of an eye, however, that black shadow appeared before him!

It turned out to be... a Yaksha heavenly demon!

Yet this Yaksha heavenly demon was somewhat different.

Its entire body was entwined with ten-colored demonic vines, resembling vine armor. In its left hand, it held a jagged round mirror with a sharp edge, and in its right hand, a dark red long saber.

Its hands were also of a dark golden hue, as though wrapped in countless dark golden bandages...

Ten-colored demonic vines, Yaksha, void mirror demon, blood-thirsty saber demon, hands of myriad kalpas... This heavenly demon was actually a combination of five different heavenly demons!

Bizarre, yet incomparably harmonious!

The five Golden Core-level heavenly demons combined, their demonic qi converging and intertwining, producing a certain qualitative change that forcibly elevated their grade by one tier.

It seemed scarcely inferior to the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon!

One must know that among the three thousand heavenly demons, the Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon ranked eighty-ninth, while the five types of heavenly demons before him—aside from the Yaksha—were all ranked beyond the two-hundredth.

Even the likes of the ten-colored demonic vines and blood-thirsty saber demons were goods ranked beyond the thousandth.

Yet despite this, the demonic qi quality of this mutated heavenly demon was elevated to within the top hundred!

The dark red long saber slashed out abruptly!

The hundred-zhang saber demon, carrying gloomy demonic qi, struck directly at Pang Yue himself.

Late Golden Core!

The strength of this mutated heavenly demon had reached the late Golden Core stage, not a whit inferior to the Immeasurable Light Buddha.

Pang Yue put away his contempt. The divine soul of the woman in white gave him a peculiar feeling, much like when he faced Ancestor Wuhua back then...

"Could it be... an avatar of a Primordial Spirit great being?"

A frightening thought arose in Pang Yue's mind.

Before him, the Buddha light surged abruptly, and the Immeasurable Light Buddha threw a punch, striking the dark red saber beam dead-on.

Boom!

The golden Buddha light and the dark red saber beam intertwined, instantly bursting apart.

The dilapidated Tiandu demonic city immediately disintegrated and shattered under the aftermath of their dual combat.

Enveloped by the Buddha light behind it, the Great Sun Glass Precious Flame Buddha Light condensed into a戒刀 (precept blade) and lunged forth valiantly, engaging in battle with the mutated heavenly demon.

Pang Yue was enveloped in water light to protect himself, his expression shifting uncertainly.

That mutated heavenly demon was extremely adept at combat; its saber light, demonic vines, and void demonic mirror were all offensive divine abilities, bizarre and unpredictable, shifting infinitely.

Fortunately, the power of the Immeasurable Light Buddha had also increased substantially, barely managing to hold it off so that victory or defeat remained undecided for a moment.

The woman in white's phoenix eyes turned cold, a flash of strangeness crossing them as she said, "Puppetry arts... quite a unique ingenuity indeed."

Pang Yue cupped his hands and said, "What is your origin, Your Excellency? Previously it was merely a misunderstanding. How about you and I stop fighting here?"

Wenwenba

The woman in white said coldly, "A mere Golden Core does not deserve to know my name."

"I see you possess some skill. If you agree to become my immortal slave, I can spare your life."

Pang Yue smiled faintly, knowing that peaceful resolution was impossible, and said, "I see you possess some beauty. If you agree to become my cauldron, I can spare your life."

The woman in white suddenly fixed her phoenix eyes on Pang Yue and said chillingly, "You... are courting death!"

Without a second word, Pang Yue flipped his hand, and an octagonal square mirror appeared in his palm.

The mirror light descended instantly, fixing the woman in white in place.

The next moment, a streak of invisible sword light fluttered over gracefully, looping like lightning around the white-clad woman's neck!

The woman in white looked slightly startled as a faint streak of blood appeared on her snow-white, slender neck.

She reached out with a finger to touch it, looked indifferently at the blood on her fingertip, and a mocking smile curled the corners of her lips: "Just this?"

At this moment, she revealed a slight smile, instantly giving off an all-the-more charming and alluring aura that made the dark, cold void suddenly appear bright.

"Such a powerful physical body!"

Pang Yue thought to himself that things were looking bad.

The invisible sword was matchless in its sharpness, yet this was the first time he had encountered a physical body that was difficult to sever.

The exquisitely beautiful woman in white before him was indeed not so simple.

This only further verified his previous guess...

"Who on earth is she?"

He saw the woman in white flick her finger, and three black shadows suddenly appeared around Pang Yue.

Three mutated heavenly demons, identical to the previous one, stepped out.

Three fierce heavenly demons of the late Golden Core stage formed a bizarre formation, trapping Pang Yue in the center.

The next moment, three streaks of dark red saber light slashed down simultaneously!

"Clang!"

A high, distant, and clear sword cry resounded through the void.

Pang Yue instantly withdrew the Yellow Springs, uniting himself with his sword to transform into a streak of invisible sword light—agile as a dragon and flickering with spiritual agility—evading the attack within a tiny, square inch of space!

The next moment.

He catalyzed the Primordial Wuji Stele, piercing through the formation composed of the three heavenly demons with his pupillary arts. His sword light wandered, and with sword techniques of millimetric precision, he instantly passed through the formation and appeared outside it.

Immediately after.

An astonishing sword scar abruptly manifested!

Following that, the rolling thunderous sound echoed.

Beneath the freezing, utmost-cold sword light, one of the mutated heavenly demons split abruptly into two halves!