The Mountain Boar Demon was thirty feet tall, like a small mountain.
But the Great Seal formed from the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal, was no smaller than the Mountain Boar Demon's Demon Body.
Its presence was immense, its weight crushing!
BOOM!
The ground caved in.
The Mountain Boar Demon found itself pinned firmly to the ground, suppressed by the Yuanbao Seal.
The power of a Middle-grade Magical Artifact was plain to see!
Of course, during this process, the Hedgehog Spirit's sneak attack had played a crucial role.
"You..."
The Mountain Boar Demon's eyes looked ready to split from their sockets.
At that moment, he finally understood.
He had been set up by the two demons!
The Hedgehog Spirit hadn't instigated him to ambush the Toad Spirit because he was coveting the Middle-grade Magical Artifact in the Toad Spirit's hands.
He was after this old boar all along!
No wonder, no wonder!
Unfortunately, this realization came too late.
The Hedgehog Spirit and the Toad Spirit were both late-stage Qi Refining Old Demons with rich experience in Magical Combat.
Having achieved this critical success and gained a huge advantage, they naturally pressed forward to seal their victory.
The Mountain Boar Demon was already gravely injured, having first been ambushed by the Hedgehog Spirit's spike-like magical artifact, which had been refined for many years, and then suppressed by the Yuanbao Seal.
And facing the combined assault of two Old Demons of the same realm,
although the Mountain Boar Demon struggled with all his might, unleashing bursts of Demon Power, he ultimately could not escape his demise.
A flash of golden light flared, and the Toad Spirit retracted the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal.
The Hedgehog Spirit watched, his eyes burning with envy. 'This battle went so smoothly not just because of our careful planning and the success of the sneak attack. The role the Yuanbao Seal played was of paramount importance! That old toad already possesses such a powerful and domineering Middle-grade Magical Artifact. If he manages to finish refining the Illusory Bell, his combat prowess will probably be unmatched in his realm! He could probably even hold his own against the Direct Lineage disciples from the major mountain sects! Still, this scheme went off without a hitch, and the rewards are plentiful. With my usual savings, I should be able to buy a decent Middle-grade Magical Artifact. My combat prowess will reach a whole new level!'
"Old Toad, let's work together again if the chance arises."
The two demons immediately began to take stock of their gains.
After dividing the spoils from the Mountain Boar Demon's body, the Hedgehog Spirit took his leave without hesitation.
Although he and the Toad Spirit had conspired together against the Mountain Boar Demon, their relationship was just one of convenience.
Now that the deed was done, it was best to leave early to prevent any accidents.
He was no match for the Toad Spirit in a one-on-one fight!
'I won't team up with the Toad Spirit again until I have a suitable Middle-grade Magical Artifact of my own,' he decided.
The Toad Spirit watched the hastily departing Hedgehog Spirit, a flicker in his eyes.
In the end, he let out a long sigh and turned to leave.
'My gains from this venture are enough for me to digest for some time,' he thought. 'There's no need to take a risk and antagonize the Hedgehog Spirit.'
For a time, the forest fell silent.
All that remained was the mangled Demon Body of the Mountain Boar Demon, its corpse lying in a pool of splattered blood.
...
"I didn't expect such a twist. That was quite a show!"
Xu Chang'an remarked quietly.
But he didn't pay it too much mind.
The Demon Path was difficult, naturally filled with all sorts of schemes and unpredictable circumstances.
In his past life, he had been through many ups and downs; schemes and betrayals like the one he just witnessed were nothing out of the ordinary.
'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,' he thought. 'It's time for me to make my move!'
If the two demons hadn't separated, it would have been difficult for him to act.
But the alliance between the Hedgehog Spirit and the Toad Spirit was clearly not that strong, as they went their separate ways once the job was done.
Compared to the Hedgehog Spirit, the Middle-grade Magical Artifact in the Toad Spirit's hands was a much greater temptation.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Mountain Boar Demon's final counterattack had managed to injure the Toad Spirit somewhat.
'Strike while he's down!'
Xu Chang'an used a Concealment Spell and pursued the Toad Spirit in the direction he had left.
Meanwhile, the three Raccoon-Monkey brothers, still planning to rob and kill Xu Chang'an, were waiting in the same spot, carefully trying to sense the Wild Wolf Demon's aura.
...
Perhaps confident in his own cultivation, the Toad Spirit didn't seem to be making much effort to hide his tracks.
It made sense. With his Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation and a Middle-grade Magical Artifact, he was strong enough to be considered a local powerhouse in this desolate place.
The Toad Spirit hadn't joined any power; he was an Independent Cultivator Demon.
For him to have cultivated to such a realm, he must have had some fortuitous encounters in his early years.
And now, not only did he possess two Middle-grade Magical Artifacts, but he had also received half of the Mountain Boar Demon's accumulated wealth.
As long as he could fully absorb these resources, given time, it was highly likely he could break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
By then, with a Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation and two Middle-grade Magical Artifacts in hand,
he would surely claim a spot among the renowned Independent Cultivator Demons in the several-hundred-mile radius around White Maple Mountain!
At this thought, the Toad Spirit couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and complacency.
To have come this far as a mere Loose Cultivator, he had every right to be proud.
SWOOSH!
Along with a terrifying sonic boom, a streak of light shot straight toward the running Toad Spirit.
The Toad Spirit reacted extremely quickly. His Demon Power surged, and he shot out a blast of Magic that entangled the sudden streak of light.
Only then did he get a clear look: the streak of light was a Steel Fork Magical Artifact.
"Who is it?! Who dares to ambush me!"
No voice answered him. What responded was a Copper Coin Magical Artifact, smashing toward him.
Its intimidating presence startled the Toad Spirit.
"Yuanbao Seal!"
Without hesitation, the Toad Spirit summoned his trump card, the Middle-grade Magical Artifact.
'When facing the unknown, I must strike with full force and not lose a crucial opportunity,' he thought.
The Copper Coin Magical Artifact drew near and collided fiercely with the Yuanbao Seal.
BOOM!
The Copper Coin Magical Artifact didn't have the terrifying power its presence suggested; instead, it was steadily pushed back under the crushing weight of the Yuanbao Seal.
Its light flickered repeatedly, unable to hold on.
"Is that all you've got?!"
The Toad Spirit couldn't help but feel smug.
'From its imposing arrival, I thought it would be powerful, but it's this weak?'
The Toad Spirit's smugness didn't last long before a gray ray of light shot toward him.
It was a spell!
'Judging by its power, it's at most at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer! But its speed is close to late-stage Qi Refining!'
Although he could clearly gauge the spell's power at a glance, the Toad Spirit didn't dare to be careless.
In a life-and-death Magical Combat, feints and bluffs were commonplace.
Before, the Copper Coin Magical Artifact's presence seemed substantial, but its power was empty.
And this spell's presence seemed empty, but maybe its power was terrifying!
At that moment, the Toad Spirit controlled the Yuanbao Seal while simultaneously circulating his Demon Power.
He spat a red Fire Bomb from his mouth, shooting it toward the spell.
This Fire Bomb was half the size of the Toad Spirit's body; he held nothing back, unleashing his Demon Power with all his might.
Before the Fire Bomb and the spell could collide, the Steel Fork Magical Artifact that was entangled with his own spell suddenly changed.
The three Sharp Forks at the front of the Steel Fork suddenly detached from the main body, flying toward the Toad Spirit at a terrifying speed.
The Toad Spirit had just circulated his Demon Power to execute the Fire Bomb Technique; it was a moment when he was vulnerable.
He tried to drive the Yuanbao Seal to suppress the attack, but it was still entangled with the Copper Coin Magical Artifact.
For a moment, he couldn't react in time, his power falling short.
But he couldn't just let the three Sharp Forks strike him.
He had just used the Fire Bomb Technique and was still directing the Yuanbao Seal, so his Demon Power was at a low point. Relying purely on his Demon Power for protection was too risky.
In a flash, the Toad Spirit whipped out a Demon Talisman and fiercely channeled his Demon Power to activate it.
A Tier One Low Grade, High-Quality Defense Demon Talisman!
A ring of blue light bloomed around him, tightly shielding the Toad Spirit.