Chapter 187: We Slayed the Demon, So What?
Chapter 187: We Slayed the Demon, So What?
“Damn it… damn it…”
“You… all of you deserve to die…”
“Every single one of you, everyone, will be killed by the Seventh Prince…”
The Demon Hound had been startled by the third wave of Lightning Talismans, realizing that staying hidden would truly mean death. It finally leaped into the air, reckless and desperate. The pill within its belly became clearly visible now, emanating six distinct, bright layers of radiance. This light constantly surged its power. Roaring furiously, it charged wildly from side to side, a crazed killing machine.
Under the violent wash of its savage aura, the surrounding Shoushan Sect disciples felt the pressure double, finding themselves in repeated peril. Fortunately, Young Sect Master Xu rushed forward at that moment, suppressing it with all his strength, preventing the Demon Hound from claiming any Shoushan Sect lives.
Even so, its sheer ferocity made it clear their encirclement was barely holding under its raging aura.
The Elders and disciples of the Five Great Sects witnessing this felt a powerful surge of adrenaline.
Many disciples wanted to step forward and help, but without a command from their Elders, they dared not act rashly.
“Disrupt its mind with the Divine Nether Body Tempering Art!”
Just then, Fang Cun, shielded by the two Shoushan Sect Elders, suddenly shouted low.
The Elders and disciples of the Five Great Sects were startled, their gazes snapping towards Fang Cun. They seemed unable to comprehend why Fang Cun, whose cultivation was only at the Foundation Building Realm – lower not only than Young Sect Master Xu who was fiercely engaged, but even below most of the battling Shoushan disciples, and vastly weaker than the Demon Hound itself – would dare to confidently spout orders at such a critical juncture?
An amateur advising the expert was the most perilous thing!
But while outsiders saw it this way, the Shoushan Sect disciples didn’t hesitate for a moment. The Divine Nether Body Tempering Art had been recovered for them by Fang Cun. Combined with the many opportunities he had provided, in their hearts his status perhaps surpassed even the Sect Leader and the two Elders. They didn’t consider cultivation levels; they immediately retracted their energies and joined forces, forming hand seals…
“Huuuum…”
Behind them, as their magical power surged, illusory demonic shadows manifested. It was as though dark deities stood poised in the void, their fierce brows knotted, demonic intent radiating. They chanted strange, grim passages from a scripture, transforming into currents of intangible energy that intertwined and surged towards the Demon Hound.
“Damn it…”
Having broken free, the Demon Hound had become overwhelmingly savage and difficult to suppress. Strange, almost incredibly subtle energies seemed to coil around its body, making it slippery as an eel. This peculiar aura, resistant even to the devastating power of Golden Core Realm experts like Young Sect Master Xu, suddenly wavered and dimmed when faced with the chanted demonic scripture from the disciples. Its invisible protective energy flickered out of control.
“Little Enfeebling Seal!”
Fang Cun commanded sternly.
The Shoushan disciples followed instantly, urgently forming a different seal with their hands. The demonic shadows behind them solidified, transforming into tokens about a foot long, wreathed in formless Demonic Qi. The tokens emitted beams of cold, eerie light that painted the void with a bizarre, frightening pattern.
“Crack!” “Crack!”
As the interlacing chilling beams bore down, the Demon Hound’s movements visibly slowed to a crawl mid-air.
Fang Cun smiled then. “Demon Binding Gold!”
“Shua-la-la!”
The Shoushan disciples’ techniques shifted again. In an instant, whistling chains of icy metal shot from their hands, swiftly coiling towards the bound Hound. Some lashed towards its neck, others wrapped around its limbs, and a few targeted the area between its hind legs, perhaps aiming for its vulnerable parts…
Logically, such techniques shouldn’t have fazed it, yet now, the chains locked it securely in place.
“Roooooooar…”
The ferocity in the Demon Hound instantly diminished; its roar held genuine fear now.
“Whoosh!”
Countless Sect Elders and disciples turned their bewildered eyes towards Fang Cun, their faces pale with shock.
Just moments ago, the Demon Hound, empowered by that strange pill’s energy, possessed overwhelming savage force, seeming impossible to counter. They couldn’t fathom how, guided only by Fang Cun’s words and followed precisely by the Shoushan disciples, they achieved such miraculous results in an instant. In the brief battle, these disciples’ effectiveness practically surpassed even Young Sect Master Xu, a Golden Core Realm expert…
Was this… magic?
……
“Just as I thought, this pill isn’t that simple…”
As the Shoushan disciples clearly neared complete control of the Demon Hound, Fang Cun coldly glanced at it.
From the start of this demon hunt, he had never underestimated this Demon Hound.
Or rather, he had never underestimated the pill it swallowed.
A pill bestowed by the Immortal Emperor – how could it be ordinary?
On the surface, since swallowing the pill just a year ago, this creature went from a dog raised for amusement by a palace maid, to the notorious Demon Hound terrifying the region and subduing countless Demon Kings. It endlessly consumed blood Qi without consequence, boosting its strength to rival a late-stage Golden Core Great Qi Refiner – terrifying enough.
But Fang Cun knew it wasn’t enough.
The Demon Hound’s infamy stemmed from its ruthless consumption of mortals, accumulating vast blood Qi. Yet the power of the Nine Qi Nine Revolutions Great Dao Miraculous Pill went deeper.
It hadn’t truly digested the pill!
Watching its fight with Young Sect Master Xu and the disciples revealed clues: the pill shimmered faintly within it, projecting six distinct layers of radiant light. Fang Cun mentally deduced and grasped some of its profound secrets.
Nine Qi, Nine Revolutions – nine layers of pill light!
The Demon Hound had only consumed three!
And likely, two of those three were expended just moments ago in this fierce battle. This pill light was more precious to it than life itself, but its consumption unleashes incredible power. Though grievously wounded, burning just one layer surged its ferocity, overwhelming even the combined might of Young Sect Master Xu and dozens of disciples…
But Fang Cun, understanding the pill, knew how to counter. Sacrificing one’s life force wasn’t so simple!
The Dog Demon was seriously wounded and physically weakened. The pill was also a burden.
Therefore, disrupt its mind first with the Divine Nether Scriptures. A weakened mind loses control over the pill light, immediately dimming and causing chaotic interference within its meridians, hindering its control over its own body. Then deploy the Little Enfeebling Seal to disrupt the spatial laws around it, instantly slowing its movements further. With the “Demon Binding Gold” cast at this point, the Demon Hound was virtually a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Fang Cun, having reversed engineered the Divine Nether Body Tempering Art, delved deeply into the Divine Nether Scriptures’ various techniques. No one understood these spells’ intricacies better than he. Naturally, no one grasped their effects more deeply. Recognizing the hidden weakness within the Demon Hound’s fury, employing the wonderous Shoushan Sect techniques to suppress it became remarkably straightforward.
Of course, to Fang Cun, this was basic logic.
But in the eyes of the Five Great Sects’ Elders and disciples, it seemed mystifyingly profound. Particularly the older Elders, witnessing the Shoushan disciples suddenly gaining such awe-inspiring might to bind the Demon Hound, felt a chill. This overwhelming demonic prowess eerily reminded them of when Shoushan Sect wasn’t called Shoushan, but “Divine Nether Sect”…
……
“I already said! This… this demon CANNOT be slain! Why haven’t you retreated yet?”
Just as the Demon Hound was bound and Shoushan Sect seemed poised for victory, a voice roared angrily through the void.
It was Old Master Fan.
Even for him, as Prefect wielding Magic Treasures bestowed by the Divine Kings, controlling an entire prefecture, projecting an image this far strained his limits. Having sternly ordered earlier and seeing the Sects halt was a small relief, but unease lingered. Checking back now revealed this astonishing scene.
His furious shout echoed above. Elders from the various sects looked up, their expressions instantly complex.
“Retreat?”
Fang Cun raised his gaze towards the sky, smiling. “We came on your order, Old Scholar, to slay the Demon Hound and remove this scourge. Now, when this demon is on the verge of being beheaded, why suddenly demand our retreat? Should we just forfeit those thirty thousand Merits?”
“You…!”
Old Master Fan was enraged but momentarily speechless. “I have my arrangements… stop now!”
“Heh.”
Fang Cun merely chuckled, glancing at his two protecting Elders.
Elders Green Pine and Cold Stone exchanged awkward glances. With a faint sigh, they simultaneously flicked their sleeves. Ink-black clouds instantly gathered across the sky, blotting out Old Master Fan’s projected image completely. Though his furious shouts could be faintly heard, they grew steadily weaker and fainter until completely silenced. The connection was forcibly severed. Though obviously unwilling, there was nothing he could do.
Crow Mountain was near the Qingjiang border. The fact that he could project his shadow across that distance was already a tremendous effort. How could he possibly accomplish anything more?
Fang Cun turned his gaze back to the Demon Hound. A plan formed in his mind. “It’s time to end this!”
…
…
“Hateful! Hateful! Woof woof…”
The Demon Hound in the air was already at the end of its strength. It had only lasted this long by forcing itself using the power of the pill. Now suppressed by Young Sect Master Xu, the longer it held on, the more its vital energy and blood felt like they were boiling within. Continuing to fight would likely cause it to explode and die. Despair finally settled in its heart, especially when it saw the shadow of the Old Scholar in the sky being obscured, confirming it truly had no chance of survival…
At this moment, it finally abandoned all caution. It shook its body, and a mist of its vital energy sprayed out, transforming into fierce flames that leapt and roared.
Its body clearly shrank another size smaller, yet its speed increased dramatically. It shot like an arrow toward the distant sky.
At least now there were no golden Silkcloud Threads restraining its movements, offering a sliver of hope for escape. But blindly charging in all directions, it suddenly realized Young Sect Master Xu was surging toward it from the south. Startled, it tried to veer west, only to find Elder Cold Pine, gaunt and grim, already watching it coldly from that direction. Alarmed again, it saw Elder Cold Stone had already arrived in the east.
Panicked thoughts spiraled wildly, and like a headless fly, it lunged northward. In that instant, it caught sight of a young man with a sinister, gloomy face calmly blocking the northern path. Demonic Qi pulsated violently around him, vaguely manifesting an obscure, shadowy idol in the void behind him, crackling with black lightning. It seemed as if he was guarding the legendary Gate of the Nine Nethers…
“Raaaaawr!”
The Demon Hound instantly dismissed any thought of fighting him and desperately spun around again.
Consumed by utter hopelessness, it acted recklessly. Fiercely, it triggered another pill flame.
The pill within its translucent body, which had originally emanated six beams of light, saw one of those beams instantly extinguish. Simultaneously, countless blood vessels throughout its body shattered, revealing greyish, phosphorescent flesh. A raging, swirling cloud of demonic energy instantly enveloped it…
“You force me onto the road of death… then I’ll take you with me…”
A voice icy yet filled with boundless pain and despair echoed. It violently launched itself into the air, achieving a speed astonishingly faster than lightning. In an instant, it closed the distance to Fang Cun, who was nearest to this part of the battlefield. Its bloody, crimson maw snapped down viciously towards Fang Cun.
“Not good!!”
Young Sect Master Xu and everyone nearby were shocked.
No one had imagined this Demon Hound still possessed such a deadly gambit…
Its remaining life force was nearly extinguished, yet it had somehow gained such terrifying speed in this fleeting moment…
Seeing it was already too late to intercept it, they could only watch helplessly as it charged straight at Fang Cun.
Fang Cun was at the edge of the battlefield. Behind him were the common folk rescued from Crow Mountain. Flanking the sides were the Elders and disciples of the Five Great Sects. The disciples of the Shoushan Sect, occupied with surrounding and attacking the Demon Hound, were too late to turn back and help. Although the Elders of the Five Great Sects, who had not yet acted and were positioned slightly closer to Fang Cun, clearly possessed the ability…
“Not good…!”
The Elders of the Five Sects also paled dramatically, their bodies reflexively tensing to move.
But they only tensed—forcefully suppressing the impulse. Their minds grappled with an excruciating dilemma:
Second Young Master Fang was no ordinary person. If the Demon Hound killed him, they would all face serious consequences…
But equally, this was no ordinary Demon Hound…
So, at this critical moment… should they intervene and save him?
…
…
No one knew how many calculations flashed through their minds in that split-second, nor what their ultimate choice would have been. For before the Demon Hound could finally reach Fang Cun… he simply lifted his hand, his expression utterly impassive.
Facing the monstrous creature lunging towards him, his demeanor showed not the slightest flicker of change.
This was precisely his goal—to force the Demon Hound into this desperate lunge!
So, in that moment, he merely uttered four quiet words:
“Divine Nether Hundred Arms!”
Instantly, an utterly terrifying aura erupted violently from Fang Cun. Heaven and earth seemed to plunge into darkness. From all directions—sky, ground, the sides—came the chilling roars of deities and demons. Indescribably violent, chaotic surges inundated the space ten yards in front of Fang Cun. And then, in a single heartbeat, a multitude of diverse weapons suddenly materialized in the air.
Some weapons fell from the sky; others sprouted from beneath the earth.
There were broken spears stained with blood… shattered divine swords… demonic swords veined with cracks… hooks, halberds, hammers, maces… even lyre strings and fragments of a chessboard… one couldn’t perceive them clearly, only feel the overwhelming aura of anguish and brutal tragedy swirling around them…
Like deadly specters, these weapons pierced through the Demon Hound, hooked into it, impaling it from all sides… pinning it immovably in the air.
At this precise moment, the Demon Hound’s gaping jaw was still lunging… one mere foot away from Fang Cun!
…
…
“What… What divine ability is this?!”
Witnessing this sudden scene, the Elders and disciples of the Five Sects were utterly dumbfounded, a chill spreading through their bodies.
Earlier, they had watched the Shoushan Sect disciples employ their techniques and divine abilities to break the savage spirit of the Demon Hound and even trap it mid-air. That already seemed remarkable. But now, seeing the divine ability unleashed by Fang Cun… it plunged them into an icy abyss of shock.
In that instant, even the Five Sects’ Elders felt ripples of fear.
Their fear wasn’t directed at Fang Cun’s cultivation or strength… but at the profound, mysterious power resonating from that single divine technique.
Why did this divine ability, employed by someone seemingly only at the Foundation Building Realm, evoke such visceral, fearful trembling deep within even them?
…
…
Fang Cun paid no mind whatsoever to the stunned gazes of others. Slowly, he stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the Demon Hound, now pinned like a gruesome tapestry by various broken weapons. Its body was shattered almost beyond recognition. Even the light in its eyes was rapidly fading out…
“Sp.. spare me…”
The Demon Hound’s voice was faint as a mosquito’s buzz, yet it still begged for mercy. “I… I’ll… return the pill to you…”
“If… if you kill me… th… the Seventh Prince… will surely not spare you…!”
“…”
“I don’t kill you for that pill!”
Fang Cun leaned closer to it, his voice soft. “That pill never reached the Fang Family. You eating it has nothing to do with my family!”
The fading light in the Demon Hound’s eyes contracted slightly as it stared at Fang Cun.
Fang Cun met its gaze, his voice dropping yet becoming more distinct.
“I kill you… precisely because you stand behind the Seventh Prince!”
“If I do not kill you… how will he ever know… that I dare to kill him?”
“…”
“…”
“You…!”
Upon hearing Fang Cun’s final words, two intense flashes of light erupted within the Demon Hound’s already fading eyes—flashes born from the absolute pinnacle of terror.
Even having resigned itself to Fang Cun’s intent to kill… it had never imagined he would dare utter those words.
Yet Fang Cun didn’t indulge it with further conversation. The moment those words left his lips, he abruptly took a decisive step forward. In one fluid motion, he drew the Silver Serpent Sword from within his umbrella scabbard. Sword light gleamed like liquid silver, brilliantly illuminating the surrounding wilderness. Without pause, he reversed his grip and slashed downward.
Shhhhk!
The dog’s head parted from its neck, soaring into the air.
Far less blood sprayed from the neck stump than one might expect… perhaps it had already been spent in its final struggle. Even a Demon Hound, once wildly ferocious and claiming grand origins, appears utterly ordinary once its head is severed. It rolled several times on the ground and lay still. Its eyes gradually lost their light. Only the expression of utter, frozen shock remained etched onto its canine features, as if, moments before decapitation, it still had countless words unsaid… boundless resentment left unvented…
Fang Cun’s foot pressed firmly down onto the severed head. Calmly, he slid the Silver Serpent Sword back into its umbrella sheath.
A flick of his wrist closed the umbrella. He lifted his gaze, looking towards the empty sky where the shadow had vanished. Sunlight streamed over his figure, white and blindingly bright, pristine and untouched.
“So… how about this? The Demon… I have slain it.”