The "World-Purifying Sacred Domain" was like a beacon in darkness, not only greatly inspiring allied morale but also dealing substantial, substantive heavy blows to the demonic tide. Wherever the domain extended, demons melted like snow. The allied forces fought with ever-increasing vigor, actually pushing the battle line back several li at one point. Xiao Qi floated at the domain's center, his face slightly pale, consumption enormous, yet his gaze remained resolute, continuously providing crucial purification and support to this battlefield.
However, the demonic lord clearly would not sit by watching this "nail" firmly embedded in its assault front.
Just as allied morale soared and they fought valiantly to clear residual demons within the domain, that demonic energy pillar connecting heaven and earth in the distance suddenly contracted violently. Then, a stream of pitch-black light, condensed to the extreme and emanating an aura that made souls tremble, like a meteor tearing through space, with speed exceeding visual capture, brazenly crashed into the edge of the "World-Purifying Sacred Domain"!
"BOOM—!!!"
The pitch-black light violently collided with the pure purification domain, producing a deafening explosion! The entire "World-Purifying Sacred Domain" light curtain violently rippled; even fine, spiderweb-like cracks appeared at the edge regions! The white light within the domain flickered uncertainly. All allied cultivators felt their hearts jolt, as if the domain might shatter at any moment!
Xiao Qi grunted, his form slightly swaying. The domain being forcibly struck affected him first as its master. His sharp gaze like lightning instantly locked onto that pitch-black light's landing point.
The black light dissipated, revealing the figure within.
This was not a low-level demon assembled from corpses or resentful souls, but a human-shaped entity fully three zhang tall, completely condensed from the purest, most concentrated demonic energy! It wore grotesque pitch-black bone armor, dark red aberrant patterns flowing across the armor. Its head had no features—only two constantly rotating black vortices that devoured all light. In its hand it gripped a great axe also condensed from demonic energy; space warped slightly near the axe blade.
A spiritual pressure, vast and evil, far surpassing any demon seen before, surged forth from within it like a storm, reaching—Nascent Soul stage!
A Demon General!
A high-level demon directly birthed from the demonic lord's source demonic energy, possessing combat power comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, had finally appeared!
The moment this Demon General appeared, it emitted a silent roar—a roar directly affecting the soul level, causing many low-level cultivators in the domain to clutch their heads and scream, blood flowing from their seven orifices. It casually swung its demonic axe. A pitch-black axe blade extending a hundred zhang tore the earth, slashing toward the bastion direction. Where it passed, over a dozen demon beast warriors who failed to dodge in time, along with the city wall beneath their feet, instantly turned to powder!
"A Nascent Soul demon!"
"It's a Demon General! Retreat quickly!"
The morale just lifted immediately plummeted again before this absolute gap in power. A Nascent Soul-level existence was an insurmountable chasm for the vast majority of allied cultivators!
"Its target is the Master's domain!" A perceptive person immediately saw the Demon General's intention.
After that strike, the General's hollow "gaze" locked onto Tang Xiaoqi floating at the domain's center. It raised its demonic axe, pointing at him, full of provocation and killing intent.
Xiao Qi's gaze was ice-cold. He knew that if this Demon General wasn't eliminated quickly, once it wantonly destroyed things, the barely stabilized battle line would collapse instantly, and the "World-Purifying Sacred Domain" might also be breached from within.
"Maintain the domain! Hold the line! This demon, leave it to me!"
He called out clearly, his voice spreading throughout the domain,ing the somewhat panicked troops. Then, with a thought, the Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword he had been nurturing in his dantian let out a clear, melodious sword chime, transforming into a crimson stream of light that fell into his hand. Upon the blade, dragon patterns and phoenix shadows flowed; its scorching and noble aura drove away the surrounding demonic energy.
At the same time, his left hand grabbed, and the seemingly plain yet actually extraordinary Frying Pan—the Creation Chaos Cauldron—also appeared in his hand. Subtle chaos aura flowed within the pan's base.
Xiao Qi stepped forward; his form vanished from the domain's center. The next moment, he appeared a hundred zhang before the Demon General, facing that massive demonic body across the void.
"Human... Nascent Soul... devour..." The Demon General's vortex-like "eyes" fixed on Xiao Qi, emitting fragmented full of greed and malice.
Xiao Qi didn't waste words. He knew there was no reasoning with such a creature of pure destruction. He flicked his wrist; the Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword erupted with soaring sword intent. That sword intent wasn't merely sharp, but fused with purification source's protective sword intent!
"Cut!"
A crimson-gold sword aura spanning the long sky, like a burning meteor, carrying the supreme will to purify evil and protect justice, chopped toward the Demon General's head!
The Demon General let out a low roar, its demonic axe brutally swept upward. Pitch-black axe blade collided violently with crimson-gold sword aura!
"CLANG—!!!"
Like two divine mountains colliding, the great sound shook the four wildernesses! Violent energy shockwaves spread in rings, forcibly shaving three chi off the ground below! Some nearby demons and allied cultivators were blown away.
Xiao Qi's form slightly wavered; the arm holding the sword grew numb. The Demon General retreated half a step; its demonic energy churned.
First exchange—a draw!
The Demon General seemed enraged. It roared, its form suddenly expanding a circle. Innumerable pitch-black tendrils transformed from its body, like poisonous pythons coiling toward Xiao Qi from all directions. The tendril tips split open, revealing suction-cup-like maws emanating-devouring suction.
Xiao Qi's gaze sharpened. His left hand violently slapped forward with the frying pan!
"HUMM!"
Chaos aura flowed across the pan's surface. Rather than colliding head-on with those tendrils, it produced a strange distorting force field. Those demonic energy tendrils capable of piercing metal and devouring spiritual power, upon approaching within three chi of the pan, were actually like falling into an invisible mire—speed suddenly decreasing, trajectories warping, even tangling and colliding with each other, power greatly reduced.
"Break!"
Xiao Qi seized the opportunity. The Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword transformed into a stunning swan flight, sword light blooming like a lotus, instantly shredding those demonic energy tendrils affected by the force field!
The Demon General howled in pain, roaring continuously. Its demonic axe wildly wielded; concentrated axe blades like black lightning covered the sky, hacking toward Xiao Qi. Simultaneously, it spat a thick demonic breath, carrying intense corrosion and soul attacks!
Xiao Qi pushed his movement technique to the extreme. "Swimming Dragon Nine Turns" merged with spatial comprehension; his form shuttled uncertainly through the sky-full of axe blades and demonic breath, ghostly as an apparition. The Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword blocked, deflected, pierced, or sliced,ing attack after attack. The Creation Chaos Cauldron alternately blocked and struck; its strange force field always diverted and weakened the most dangerous attacks.
For a time, in the sky above, crimson-gold sword aura and pitch-black demonic energy violently collided, annihilated each other. Energy turbulence swept everywhere, causing below allied cultivators to be dazzled and spellbound, hearts in their throats.
This Demon General, though without intelligence and knowing only killing, had truly terrifying combat instincts, boundless power, and demonic energy's natural erosion toward living beings—extremely difficult to deal with. Though Xiao Qi had many techniques and refined dao methods, having just entered Nascent Soul, facing this same-tier demon, he felt enormous pressure.
A prolonged defense invites defeat! Victory must be achieved quickly!
Xiao Qi's eyes flashed with sharpness. He feinted an opening, forcibly let a glancing axe blade strike his shoulder. His protective spiritual light flickered violently, leaving a deep wound reaching to the bone. Demonic energy instantly invaded. But he also used this chance to close distance with the Demon General!
"Now!"
Ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder and demonic energy erosion, his Nascent Soul blazed within, the guardian dharma image phantom clearly manifesting behind him! All power, all dao concepts, were poured into the Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword!
"Protect—Purify the World!"
A single thrust, not pursuing extreme speed or sharpness, but carrying a majestic momentum that suppressed evil and cleansed heaven and earth! At the sword's tip, Green Lotus source, Four Symbols power, and protective sword intent perfectly merged, transforming into a single point of extreme concentration—a pure white sword light seemingly capable of purifying all filth in the world!
The Demon General also seemed to sense the fatal threat. It let out a sharp shriek, gathered all demonic energy into the demonic axe, and hacked out its strongest strike!
Pure white sword light and pitch-black demonic axe, like needle-point meeting blade-edge in the air, brazenly collided head-on!