Chapter 186: Thunder First, Three Times Over

“That was…”

It happened so suddenly. Seeing the Demon Hound abruptly crash to the ground, everyone present was instantly shocked.

A sharp-eyed Elder reacted quickly, channeling Magical Power into his eyes for a better look. His expression changed suddenly.

He saw that around the Demon Hound, an intricate web of countless thin golden threads had somehow appeared, connecting every Shoushan Sect’s gleaming Flying Sword. The many Flying Swords were deeply anchored in the earth, forming an almost invisible net of incredible strength and resilience. If the Demon Hound had reacted even a fraction slower, it would already be reduced to mincemeat…

“Golden Spider-Weave Silk… That’s nine-strand Golden Spider-Weave Silk!”

The female Elder of the Yun Huan Sect suddenly gasped, her voice a low cry. “Only silk woven from Golden Spider-Weave Silk could withstand the demonic power of a great demon equivalent to the Golden Core Realm! And it’s not ordinary silk, but nine-strand weave!”

In that instant, everyone understood the strategy of the Shoushan Sect, or rather, the strategy of that Second Young Master Fang.

So ruthless!

Previously, the other Sects had only noticed Shoushan Sect disciples each wielding a single, dazzlingly bright Flying Sword. They’d assumed it was for show, for flare. They hadn’t realized these seemingly flashy swords, once launched, couldn’t even pierce the Demon Hound’s demonic hide. They could only use the force imbued in the Flying Swords to momentarily suppress it. But in reality, each sword harbored a secret…

The blinding sword light was precisely meant to conceal the true killing intent.

The disciples’ act of sending forth their Flying Swords wasn’t the goal; using the swords to deploy the golden spider-silk threads was!

The blinding glare was designed to prevent anyone from noticing the nearly invisible threads!

While these disciples deployed their swords, should the Demon Hound attempt to charge towards Fang Cun or try to flee skyward, it would be committing suicide. However, this Demon Hound was truly formidable, reacting with incredible speed. Sensing immediate danger, it instantly plummeted down from the air.

“You hurt me! You dared hurt me! Asking for death…”

The Demon Hound snarled viciously, clearly terrified by the recent brush with death.

Yet, no one answered it.

The moment it crashed down, Fang Cun’s sleeves fluttered elegantly as he formed a seal before his chest with his right hand.

This was the Soul-Forging Seal from the Classic of Spirits.

It could stimulate and focus mental will.

As Fang Cun formed the seal, rippling sounds came from the Dharma Ship above. One after another, vibrant butterflies emerged, fluttering out like colorful clouds. The dazzling sight stunned the surrounding cultivators. Before their confusion or displeasure could solidify, they saw the countless butterflies swarm above the Demon Hound. Then, golden Talismans began raining down from mid-air.

“Crack!” “Crack!” “Crack!” “Crack!”

Instantly, roaring thunder surged, filling the entire space.

Trapped within the net woven from the nine-strand Golden Spider-Weave Silk, the Demon Hound had no way to dodge this thunderous barrage.

Amidst its hoarse, furious roars, arcs of lightning coiled around its form, engulfing it completely.

“Those… those are all Superior Treasure Lightning Talismans, right?”

A disciple from the Leshui Sect, witnessing the cascade of Lightning Talismans, felt his hair stand on end in shock.

A single Superior Treasure Lightning Talisman cost a thousand taels of silver…

And now, how many were being used?

Several hundred sheets?

The Elders of the Five Sects, seeing this, were equally horrified, goosebumps prickling their skin.

Shoushan Sect disciples were far weaker than the Demon Hound; they weren’t even suitable for finishing it off. To put it bluntly, with two whole cultivation realms separating them, even if the demon laid still allowing them to strike, they might not succeed. Just as everyone was speculating how many lives Shoushan Sect would sacrifice to restrain the Demon Hound, Second Young Master Fang delivered this shocking scene…

First, bind it with golden threads. Then bombard it with Lightning Talismans…

This was just… utterly unreasonable!

They couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like if they were blasted by so many Lightning Talismans.

The mere thought sent shivers down their spines.

Crackle-crackle!

After the blinding, spine-tingling flash of lightning, the spot where the Demon Hound stood was charred black. The demon lay gasping, sprawled on the ground, its entire body scorched coal-black, looking half-dead.

“Slay it!”

Among the Shoushan Sect disciples, someone shouted, preparing to rush forward with Magic Treasures.

But at that moment, Fang Cun raised his hand: “Stand down!”

The disciples startled, quickly halting in their tracks.

Then they saw Fang Cun, expressionless, form another seal.

Whoosh!

The swarm of butterflies that had just released the Lightning Talismans flew back into the Dharma Ship. Now, they emerged again, releasing another downpour of Lightning Talismans.

“ROAR…”

The instant the butterflies reappeared, the apparently lifeless Demon Hound, lying paralyzed on the ground, suddenly leapt up in panic, trying to escape. But immediately, it was tripped by the crisscrossing threads surrounding it. Then, another sea of Lightning Talismans exploded around it. Waves of crackling electricity submerged it once more, its agonized roars echoing from within.

The mass of disciples felt their scalps prickle.

First, because the Demon Hound was so insidiously cunning—it had been feigning death just now. If they had gotten close, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Second, they had never imagined Second Young Master Fang would strike so relentlessly. Bombarding the demon once wasn’t enough; he turned around and blasted it a second time.

“Another several hundred sheets?”

A Leshui Sect disciple couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

After being washed in this second cascade of lightning, the ground around the Demon Hound had been blasted into a shallow crater, the soil reeking of char. By now, the demon barely resembled a living thing. Large patches of its skin had split into fragments. Strangely, fresh blood didn’t flow from the wounds; instead, an acrid, burnt stench wafted out.

A Shoushan Sect disciple saw this and instinctively looked towards Fang Cun.

“Patience!”

Fang Cun commanded coldly, forming another seal. From within the Dharma Ship came swishing sounds—a third swarm of butterflies took flight.

This sight sent countless onlookers’ scalps tingling instantly, their hair standing on end.

“ROAR…”

The Demon Hound, in equal shock, also suddenly scrambled back up.

It seemed to have no shred of breath left, yet no one expected it to start shrieking in fear and hatred the moment it saw the butterflies again. It forced itself into a frantic, hate-filled leap. Its bloodied body, shredded by the earlier blasts, seemed almost translucent beneath the charred hide. Deep within its abdomen, the shadow of a pale white core pulsed, emitting waves of milky white radiance.

“Shhh!” “Shhh!” “Shhh!”

As this light burst from its body, frost began rapidly crystallizing over the woven golden spider-silk threads in the air. The threads, superheated by the two previous lightning bombardments, were now flash-frozen. They instantly became brittle and fragile. With sharp snapping sounds, many threads shattered outright…

“YOU forced this upon me…”

The Demon Hound glared at Fang Cun with crimson, murderous eyes. “…so now I’ll DEVOUR YOU…”

WHOOSH!

With that furious roar, it lunged upwards. The few remaining spider-silk threads snapped like twigs. The creature—now unmistakably a gigantic demonic dog with bared fangs—sprung into the air, completely freed. It lunged straight for Fang Cun with its terrifying, icy jaws agape.

“It seems it was still too much of a reach after all…”

Seeing this, the Elders of the Five Sects felt their hearts skip a beat.

Fang Cun had exerted several powerful methods, bombarding the already grievously wounded Demon Hound twice over, yet it still managed to break free.

The gap in cultivation level was just too great…

……

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just as the Demon Hound lunged for Fang Cun, three figures flashed into action. Two came from Shoushan Sect—Elder Green Pine and Elder Cold Stone. They positioned themselves protectively to Fang Cun’s left and right, their sleeves raised like shields. The third figure shot straight towards the Demon Hound. He formed a strange seal with one hand and slammed it squarely onto the Demon Hound’s skull from above.

“THUD!”

The Demon Hound was blasted backwards. The figure—revealed as Sect Master Xu Young himself—staggered slightly before pressing the attack again.

“So you finally decided to intervene…”

Fang Cun gave them a light smile.

“Elder Fang, next time you plan to hunt a demon of such importance,” Elder Green Pine called out from a distance, his expression tight like he’d been punched, “remember to give us a heads-up in advance…”

“Exactly, exactly,” chimed in Elder Cold Stone, looking pained. “My heart’s still pounding…”

Fang Cun smiled. “My apologies. What of the situation now?”

The two Elders exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. “Well, it’s too late to turn back now…”

Then, their voices sharpened with command: “Disciples of Shoushan! Demons demand execution! Fellow disciples! Quicken your pace and cut down this mangy hound!”

……

“Understood…”

The Shoushan Sect disciples hesitated slightly at the Elders’ thundering command, then answered in unison.

Countless inwardly groaned: We started ages ago!

But with this unified shout, their fighting spirit soared. They roared back and unleashed their Magic Treasures and techniques afresh. Having explicit orders from their Sect Master and Elders brought a wave of reassurance. Momentum surged dramatically.

The dozens of Shoushan Sect disciples activated their sect’s Ghost God Technique. Layered waves of an eerie, divine demonic aura began rippling through the surrounding air. The space seemed to vibrate with faint whispers of Death Gods, swirling in the void.

Some of the older Elders among the surrounding Five Sects felt an inexplicable ripple in their hearts witnessing this scene. Gazing upon the surge of ghostly aura filling the space, they were involuntarily reminded of what Shoushan Sect had once been…

Seeing the Shoushan disciples shouting, coordinating, unleashing their techniques with such spirit, a complex feeling welled up deep within many disciples of the other five Sects. This was a Demon Hound of monstrous wickedness, a devourer of countless people. This was the very embodiment of ravenous evil, the creature every Qi Refiner swore to eradicate. Yet now, in this moment, disciples like themselves stood powerless at the sidelines…

While those they had dismissed as barely worthy of being called disciples—Shoushan Sect—were the ones charging forward…

A subtle, perhaps unacknowledged, sense of pride seemed to fracture at that moment.