Chapter 119: Unique Abilities in Play
Chapter 119: Unique Abilities in Play
Mu Yuan watched the honest-looking man display his techniques with quiet interest. Transforming his entire body into sharp weapons and armor demonstrated remarkable flexibility, but the astonishing defenses truly stood out. Ordinary flying swords couldn’t even scratch him! It was just as tough as Mu Yuan’s own body tempered by Dragon King’s Dynamic Force!
Setting his thoughts aside, the two enemies before Mu Yuan proved formidable. Their true forms were unknown beasts. One radiated demonic flames, the other unleashed frigid ice and snow. Opposing forces of fire and cold, heat and frost, made them incredibly hard to counter.
Fortunately, Mu Yuan had the Water Restriction Escape Sword. While not overwhelmingly powerful, its true genius lay in speed and evasion. Unless an opponent specialized in wind-based techniques, they could barely touch the hem of Mu Yuan’s robe!
Twelve demonic cultivators attacked. The strongest remained a mystery – the Peacock Demon King, wreathed in five-colored demon light, battling Master Long Yin. Judging by Mu Yuan’s assessment, this opponent was at least at the Elixir Formation stage! Moving through the air, untroubled, without relying on any flying sword or magical artifact – how effortlessly! It sent a genuine jolt of fear through Mu Yuan.
Mu Yuan’s aim wasn’t to kill his two immediate foes, but merely to protect himself. At his current level, subduing them was impossible. The Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art excelled at self-cultivation and longevity, but it offered little for aggressive combat. Although it possessed three devastating techniques, Mu Yuan knew he wasn’t skilled enough in them to eliminate these opponents. Attempting them would just drain his Primordial Qi pointlessly. It was far wiser to keep these enemies tangled up, waiting for an opportunity.
Mastering those three techniques required years of deep study or learning them young, like his Greenwood Divine Radiance. Having practiced them for barely over a fortnight meant unleashing their true power wasn’t an option. So he kept needling the pair – launching water thunderbolts or flickering sword gleams – deliberately avoiding direct clashes. He even split his attention to observe other battles!
Naturally, the most dangerous was the five-colored demon king. Mu Yuan worried if Master Long Yin possessed the means to withstand him. After watching closely for a while, Mu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Master Long Yin practiced the Fierce-Eyed Vajra Grand Method. His own cultivation wasn’t weak either; he seemed only half a step below Daoist Sect cultivators at the Elixir Formation stage. The Vajra Dharma Form looming behind clearly sprang from some potent magical artifact. It manifested as a golden armor draped over him, amplifying a presence worthy of a wrathful guardian deity! Wielding his Vajra Pestle, the monk struck powerfully in all directions, embodying the Buddhist Sect Vajra’s supreme rage that vanquishes demons and subdues monsters!
Mu Yuan got quite engrossed in the spectacle when a stir of air beside him marked Shangguan Shuiqing flying from the battlements. Her face was pale with fear as she flung forth a water dragon to help Mu Yuan fend off his enemies. “Junior Brother,” she whispered urgently, “that five-colored demon king is the very peacock demon that chased Senior Brother Liu and me! Senior Brother Liu attained the Qi Refinement and Elixir Formation stage in our sect, yet suffered heavy losses at that Peacock King’s hands! Be extremely careful!”
Startled inwardly, Mu Yuan hadn’t imagined this peacock demon was so powerful. Typically, when a Daoist Sect disciple formed their golden elixir, their magical power surged exponentially. In stark contrast, demonkind, even after forming a demon elixir, often remained weak in combat due to their inferior cultivation methods. The gap with human cultivators only widened. The heart sutra of the Clear Water Palace might emphasize harmony, but it was no weakling’s art – otherwise, they’d never have established roots in the perilous Southern Wildlands!
With Shangguan Shuiqing’s aid, Mu Yuan’s pressure lessened considerably. He saw alarmingly few cultivators able to join the fight; including himself and Shangguan Shuiqing, only seven faced the twelve demonic cultivators. Though not yet declining visibly, this imbalance wasn’t favorable!
After all, demonkind inherently possessed far more profound Magical Power reserves than humans. If a human couldn’t quickly defeat a demon in battle, it meant the human had essentially lost. When it came to endurance, humans simply couldn’t rival demons!
The departure of these cultivators worsened the battle on the battlements. Soldiers dumped burning oil from atop the walls. The viscous liquid spread out below, turning the vast earth into a glistening, oily plain where many savage beasts now trod.
“Light the fire!”
At the command, torches flew down from the battlements! Sparks rained as flames roared to life. In seconds, a sea of fire engulfed the ground beneath the city walls! Savage beasts caught within were instantly swallowed by the blaze, bellowing their last, furious roars!
Though weakened by fire, the beasts raged wildly in their death throes. They slammed violently against walls and gates! The sturdy ramparts buckled under countless fatal impacts, leaving deep dents. Even the massive gates groaned, straining to hold!
“Five Emperors, Thunder Lords, Descend in Dharma Body / Divine Void Imperial Decree, Unity of Qiankun!”
The battlements still held many “masters,” but these weren’t genuine cultivators. They practiced various occult arts, not orthodox paths. They couldn’t ride the wind nor scale the clouds. Despite some limited Magical Power, it was barely worthy.
The crisis peaked. While the ground assault below the walls was ferocious yet manageable, resisting the airborne birds proved far harder. War machines on the city walls spat bolts wildly, but splitting focus between sky and ground inevitably let the bird flock close in!
These birds possessed terrifying power—steel-tipped claws capable of easily snatching bears like Xiong Pi aloft! Gripped tightly, victims suffocated or were crushed before being flung earthward to die instantly upon impact!
A Daoist on the ramparts, sword blazing furiously, suddenly saw the danger. He shook loose his hair, bit his tongue sharply, and chanted a potent incantation while his blade danced like gale winds!
“God Descension Art!”
A nearby arcanist witnessed the Daoist. He saw electricity suddenly crackle faintly around him, emanating an imposing aura like a Thunder God descending to vanquish demons. The arcanist cried out involuntarily!
The Daoist completed his feat. Lifting his head, his eyes appeared writhing with lightning bolts! Blinking open, twin beams of thick, brilliant lightning blasted out! Twisting through the air, they coalesced into two powerful lightning drakes. Where they soared, electricity arced wildly! Beast or bird touched by their discharge instantly charred into smoking carcasses!
These two lightning drakes surged and rolled, twisting wildly across the sky! Their flight paths cleared the air instantly, letting sunlight pour through. The dense cloud of birds churned violently beneath the drakes’ assault like a sea before dragon gods, scattering into immediate flight. Arrows finished the job; the falling flock resembled heavy rain!
Ordinary soldiers’ arrows only subdued the weakest savage beasts. Most beasts possessed thick hides needing war machine bolts to pierce. But the battlements held too few such artillery pieces. Killing most demon beasts fell to the masters’ spells. Yet they were too few! Several beasts slammed through the city gates! Birds descended into the city! They wreaked havoc! Some spat fire or ice! Buildings burned! Soldiers froze solid! In moments, the inner city suffered heavy damage!
Seeing this, the trio of arcanists exchanged meaningful glances. They drew strange scepters, crushed crimson Talismanic Script seals into dust, and unleashed devastating magic! Vast thunderbolts and torrential water arrows rained down from Beyond the Nine Heavens! Instantly, entire swathes of the horde perished!
The garrison commander rushed over frantically. “Respected Masters,” he pleaded, “what about the demons that got inside…?”
“Commander, remain calm!” answered one elegant arcanist. “Focus your men on holding off this assault! Leave the city invaders to us!”
The arcanists waved their scepters. They conjured enormous water golems, fiery giants, and titans formed of crackling lightning! These lumbering constructs charged into the streets, hunting down and crushing every invading beast!
Even mightier were the massive, gate-guarding creatures built from heaped metal—like mechanical puppets animated by the arcanists’ Magical Power! Channelling power continuously, these constructs absorbed ambient metal essence from the environment! They swelled, growing monumentally huge! At last, they resembled veritable mountains of iron blocking the gateway! Savage beasts slammed against them uselessly—unable to splinter their bulwark!
“These magicians… always waiting until the last possible second to unleash the big ones!” The commander inwardly grumbled.
“Truly astonishing…!” Mu Yuan observed their power clearly from a distance. These seemingly unimposing arcanists commanded frightening magic! Watching the lumbering water and fire titans rampage through the air, a thought struck Mu Yuan: “Their effectiveness rivals mechanized puppets!”
While his own battle remained difficult, Mu Yuan held his own. Suddenly, a sharp cry pierced the air! Turning, he saw the honest-looking man battling a minotaur demon! His right hand became a glistening white blade! It sheared open the beast’s ebon hide armor! The minotaur screamed! Without halting, the honest man spun violently! His legs blurred, becoming twin cyclones! He churned violently! The minotaur crumpled instantly! Both arms became pulpy ruin!
Victorious over one foe, the honest man didn’t escape untouched. Another demon—spotted, leopard-headed, wide-eyed—struck his back! A resounding clang echoed—as though smiting solid metal! While the honest man staggered slightly, lethal spikes shot from his back! His assailant screamed instead!
“Truly fierce… the Weapon-Armor Transformation technique!” Mu Yuan murmured with admiration. However, Master Long Yin’s Fierce-Eyed Vajra Form gradually succumbed to the five-colored Peacock King’s pressure! Mu Yuan realized: if the Peacock King finished this fight early, only the old monk could oppose him! Mu Yuan acted quickly! Channeling powerful Spiritual Sense command over Clear Water True Qi, he manifested a roaring river! Instantly compressing it densely, he transformed it into water explosives! He engulfed the flame-wielding specter before him! A series of blasts followed!
The ice-controlling demon remained locked in heated combat with Shangguan Shuiqing. Though her cultivation level seemed average, she’d truly mastered Condensing Evil Energy! In terms of pure, sustained combat prowess using Clear Water True Qi, Mu Yuan genuinely doubted he surpassed her! She’d practiced the Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art since childhood!
“Tian He’s Wrathful Surge!”
Mu Yuan instantly unleashed this lethal skill! Focusing all his Zhenqi directly into his Talisman Sword! Sapphire brilliance swirled intensely! Abruptly, it transformed into a staggering blade-wheell! Rotating with hurricane speed and electric ferocity, it roared out to annihilate everything!