Free Web NovelChapter 365: Chapter 289: A Bulging Purse (Part 2)
The different characteristics of Demon Beast bloodlines manifest in various external ways.
Long, pointed legs, wings sprouting from backs, bodies covered in scales—these traits and more appeared on the Foundation Establishment Demons.
Bai Qinying and the other Battle Peak Elders had clear targets.
The battlefield was quickly divided.
The late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon grew a pair of purple horns on his forehead.
From between the two horns, he unleashed a torrent of purple lightning just before the white lightning from afar could reach him.
The two forces of lightning, one white and one purple, intertwined, and for a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.
’If only these Demons had come a little closer.’
Bai Qinying lamented inwardly as she cast her Cangyun Thunder Skill.
If the Celestial Demon Sect’s Foundation Establishment Demons had advanced just a bit further, the late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon would have had no time to block her attack.
The white lightning she had released was already fast enough; it had just barely missed hitting the late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon.
"Bai Qinying!"
The late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon recognized Bai Qinying at a glance.
Bai Qinying was ranked second on the Celestial Cloud Sect’s bounty list for Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners.
Her evaluation read: a Spirit Refiner with a Thunder Spirit Root, formidable in strength, one of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Core Formation Seeds, with a chance of achieving Core Formation within the next hundred years.
On the bounty list, the first and third ranks belonged to Fang Yun and Huang Mengyang, respectively.
Any Abnormal Spirit Root Cultivator from the Celestial Cloud Sect was guaranteed to be at the top of the Celestial Demon Sect’s bounty list for Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners.
Among the top three Spirit Refiners, Fang Yun and Huang Mengyang were difficult to kill as they remained within the Celestial Cloud Sect year-round. Bai Qinying, however, was a target they might actually be able to reach.
This was the current bounty list. The late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon from the Celestial Demon Sect knew that in a few days, the list would change.
Fang Yun and the other two would all be pushed down one rank, and the top spot would be taken by that mysterious Spirit Refiner.
"You dare show your faces here? Today, all of you Spirit Refiners from the Celestial Cloud Sect will leave your lives behind."
"All talk and no action."
Bai Qinying retorted sarcastically, her hands never ceasing their movements.
Now that the battlefield was divided, it was clear that her side had the advantage, no matter how you looked at it.
The battle with the most intense fluctuations of Spiritual Power and Demon Power was the one between the white-haired elder and the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon.
After activating his bloodline, the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon had sprouted four pairs of black wings.
At this moment, the four pairs of black wings grew longer and larger, wrapping tightly around the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon’s body to form a black, oval sphere.
"Burn!"
The white-haired elder gave a low shout, and the red gourd floating upside down above the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon continued to spew flames.
His Gourd Spiritual Artifact had already reached the supreme grade, possessing ten Spirit Patterns.
Under the continuous assault of the flames, a streak of black light flew out from within the wings enveloping the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon and shot off toward the Celestial Demon Sect.
’Not good!’
The white-haired elder cursed inwardly.
That streak of black light was clearly a message the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon was sending to the Celestial Demon Sect.
Before the operation, both he and Bai Qinying had stressed that when ambushing the Celestial Demon Sect’s Foundation Establishment Demons, it was best to prevent them from sending messages back.
This Peak Foundation Establishment Demon was incredibly decisive in sending his message.
He had no effective way to intercept such a transmission.
To be able to send a message while defending against his attacks—this Peak Foundation Establishment Demon was no simple foe.
They had very limited information on the Celestial Demon Sect’s Foundation Establishment Demons. Being constantly at a disadvantage, it was difficult enough for them to gather intelligence in the Celestial Demon Sect’s Earth Realm, let alone gather information on a specific Foundation Establishment Demon.
In contrast, the Celestial Demon Sect had gathered far more information on them.
"Your flames aren’t very effective against me."
The Peak Foundation Establishment Demon spread his four pairs of black wings, and a powerful black Demon Power erupted, causing the upside-down red gourd to sway unsteadily from side to side.
"End this quickly!"
The white-haired elder ignored the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon’s words and shouted.
These three words reached the ears of the Battle Peak Elders. Everyone understood: the Demon had already sent a message back to the Celestial Demon Sect.
Seven battlefronts.
Elder Zhou, a middle-stage Foundation Establishment Elder, was the first to finish his battle.
Facing a middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon, he was alone, with no one to assist him.
Normally, on the seven battlefronts, the easiest fight to conclude should have been the one with two middle-stage Foundation Establishment Battle Peak Elders against a single middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon from the Celestial Demon Sect.
He ended the battle so quickly thanks to a black spear.
This black spear was a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, but not an ordinary one. It was a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact specifically designed to counter Demons.
Eight years ago, Elder Zhou had gathered the Spiritual Materials and had Fang Yun refine this black spear for him.
He never expected that less than ten years later, his black spear would have a chance to shine. This was all thanks to the Celestial Demon Sect sending reinforcements to the Dragon Demon Palace to deal with the Wind Ling Sect. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to kill a middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon with this black spear today.
When the black spear pierced the middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon’s palm...
...the middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon stared at the black spear in disbelief.
His Demon Power was rapidly draining from his pierced palm. Crucially, he couldn’t pull the black spear out. He wanted to sever his own arm to save himself, but the victorious Elder Zhou gave him no such chance.
"A special Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact..."
Before death claimed him, the middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon used his last ounce of strength to shout these words, conveying this critical piece of information to the other Demons.
The "special Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact" he spoke of was what they understood to be a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact refined by a Spirit Refiner specifically to counter them.
According to their current intelligence, Fang Yun of the Celestial Cloud Sect could at most refine Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts to counter them.
Now, that intelligence could be updated.
A Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact designed to counter them had appeared!
His earlier disbelief stemmed from the claims of their Celestial Demon Sect’s Artifact Refining Elder.
He had said that being able to refine a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact to counter them was already impressive; that even if Fang Yun of the Celestial Cloud Sect used up his entire Life Span, it would be impossible for him to refine a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact for that purpose.
When the middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon shouted those words...
The expressions of the other Foundation Establishment Demons all changed.
Including the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon.
"We retreat!"
Ever decisive, he immediately gave the order to retreat.
A special Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact designed to counter them had the overall power of an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, but an artifact of that level could hardly pose a threat to him.
But that only applied to him. They had already lost one of their middle-stage members, and there were still four middle-stage Elders on the enemy side.
If the battle dragged on, they might suffer heavy losses before the Core Formation expert from the Celestial Demon Sect even arrived.
The moment he processed this information...
...the Peak Foundation Establishment Demon’s plan changed.
His original plan was to stall these Spirit Refiners from the Celestial Cloud Sect until the Core Formation expert from his Celestial Demon Sect arrived.
In the message he sent back to the sect, he had directly informed the Spirit Destruction Hall Master that they needed support from the sect’s Supreme Elder.
A Supreme Elder was not only powerful enough but also fast enough to get here.
The certain prospect of capturing so many Spirit Refiners from the Celestial Cloud Sect was enough to warrant a Supreme Elder coming personally.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
"Trap him!"
The Celestial Demon Sect retreated quickly.
One of the middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demons was about to be trapped during the retreat, but he unleashed a powerful burst of Demon Power and transformed into a streak of Tunneling Light, disappearing into the distance.
"What a pity. We were so close."
"Using a Secret Technique like that must have burned a good portion of that Demon’s bloodline power."
"Elder Bai, should we give chase?"
"Get that thought out of your head. Don’t forget what Elder Feng instructed," Bai Qinying said, shaking her head.
The more important goal of this ambush was to help Fang Yun complete his mission.
Killing a middle-stage Foundation Establishment Demon is already a good result.
"We shouldn’t linger here. Let’s go back."
"Mm."
"I wonder how Elder Fang’s mission is going right now."
As Bai Qinying and the other Battle Peak Elders talked about Fang Yun...
Fang Yun had already left the Shu Family’s ancestral land with his pockets full.
A circle of Storage Pouches hung from his waist.
