During this period, Ya Ya's size had grown even larger than a common eagle. With her wings spread, she was only slightly smaller than Qi Ping's full arm span.
Though she had remained at the peak of Rank One during this time, her physical strength had steadily climbed due to the abundance of resources she had consumed. Her feathers, now pitch-black and shimmering, possessed incredible defensive power.
The addition of her natal flames—which were far stronger than those of an average Sun-Fire Crow—raised her overall defense to a new level.
It was because of this that Qi Ping felt confident enough to let Ya Ya face the genius demoness of the Demon-Trance Sect alone.
"There's an ambush? An accomplice not mentioned in the reports? A Sun-Fire Crow? Quite a fine spirit beast, but for a mere feathered beast to face me alone... you're seeking death!"
Seeing a Sun-Fire Crow dare to block her path, the genius of the Demon-Trance Sect let out a cold laugh. Nine short swords, brimming with powerful demonic intent, flew out from various points on her body, forming a battle array to surround and kill Ya Ya.
While her sword array's killing aura was not as terrifying as the Slaughter Sword Intent of the Seven Star Sword Sect disciple, and her sword qi wasn't quite as sharp, the sheer weight of her demonic intent and imposing pressure was something the Slaughter Sword Intent could not match.
The pressure of a sword array far exceeded that of a single spiritual sword. Furthermore, the angles of attack were devious and difficult to defend against!
As the nine swords, roiling with thick demonic energy, surged toward Ya Ya, a solemn glint appeared in her eyes.
Facing such an extraordinary genius, Ya Ya did not dare to be careless. Spiritual energy surged within her body, and her natal flames transformed into a terrifying spiritual blaze that instantly covered her entire form!
Then, without fear, Ya Ya charged toward the demoness. Using her superior flight speed to weave through the sword array, she pressed her attack.
Although Ya Ya was confident that her body—tempered day and night by natal flames, solar energy, and Fire-Glow Honey—could withstand the array, she wasn't foolish enough to trade blows directly. Her priority was to close the distance and kill the woman.
Once she was close, her natal flames and powerful physical body would become her greatest advantages! For the vast majority of spirit beasts, their greatest strength lay in close-quarters combat!
The fire of battle ignited in an instant!
Ya Ya endured the impact of several short swords, rapidly closing in on the demoness.
When the swords, saturated with demonic intent, were about to strike her, Ya Ya's natal flames surged upward, clashing with the demonic energy. A series of thunderous explosions and collisions rang out.
As a natural fire-attribute spirit beast, Ya Ya's control over fire—derived from her bloodline—was not inferior to many fire-attribute manuals or control techniques. This was especially true after she had received Qi Ping's advice and insights; under intentional training, the impact and lethality of her natal flames had surpassed many fire-attribute spells.
This was the bloodline advantage of a spirit beast. They possessed innate, supreme control over their own power. After all, many of the spells used by human cultivators were originally derived from observing various spirit beasts.
Thus, when Ya Ya's natal flames collided with the demonic swords, they held their ground in an equal contest! Even when a sword occasionally breached the flames, its power was greatly depleted, and it was easily blocked by her sturdy black feathers.
"How can it be this strong?"
The demoness's expression changed slightly after a few exchanges. The strength of this Sun-Fire Crow had completely exceeded her expectations.
It wasn't as if she had never fought such a beast before. Within the Demon-Trance Sect, there was a beast-tamer who possessed a Sun-Fire Crow. She had sparred with that beast and had only managed to severely wound it after exerting a great deal of effort!
Therefore, she hadn't been careless when facing Ya Ya, but Ya Ya's actual power still shocked her.
'Its natal flames, feather defense, and speed are all significantly superior to the one in the sect. Damn it... where did this beast come from? Why was it completely absent from the records?'
At this point, the demoness's expression grew grim. She realized that the situation was slipping out of her control.
At the same time, Ya Ya finally managed to break through the demonic sword array after several grueling collisions.
She had to admit that the woman's array was exceptional. Ya Ya had spent a great deal of effort and endured multiple clashes before she could get close.
Fortunately, though the array was strong, she happened to be its perfect counter.
Firstly, the array's flexibility and multi-angled attacks were neutralized by her full-body flame coverage and reinforced feathers. Areas of physical weakness, such as her eyes, had long ago been protected by a concentrated layer of flames under Qi Ping's instructions. Her agile body was also far from being an easy target.
Secondly, that powerful demonic intent—how could it possibly intimidate a creature with Golden Crow bloodline, one who constantly meditated on the power of the sun? With the addition of Qi Ping's Flame Intent, which she had sensed countless times, she was utterly immune to such basic demonic pressure.
Had Qi Ping or Meng Yan faced this demoness, they might not have had as much of an advantage as Ya Ya.
Under these conditions, and with the added interference of the Rank One perfected formation, Ya Ya finally closed in on the demoness and launched a frenzied assault!
The true slaughter began!
Sun-Fire flames surged, exploded, and seared!
Her talons and beak, encased in the same fire, struck out with lethal precision!
Facing Ya Ya's frenzy after she closed in, the demoness did not panic. While manipulating her sword array, she unleashed various powerful offensive and defensive spells. The foundation of a great sect revealed its iceberg-tip in that moment.
When these powerful spells combined with the demonic sword array, Ya Ya began to look a bit disheveled. Like the demoness, she began to take wounds; many of her feathers were broken, and blood began to flow.
However, compared to Ya Ya, the demoness was in a much more pathetic state. Her once-charming hair had long been charred to a crisp, and severe lacerations and burns appeared all over her body.
After another bout of high-intensity slaughter, the demoness finally reached her limit. She was burned alive!
"No!"
With a shrill, wretched scream, the renowned genius of the Demon-Trance Sect, who had even grasped demonic intent, was forcibly slain by Ya Ya!
She could never have imagined that she, a genius of the new generation, would fall at the hands of a spirit beast!
However, Ya Ya was also in a bad way after the kill. Countless feathers were broken, and her aura plummeted the moment the battle ended.
If she hadn't happened to counter the demoness's style, and if the woman hadn't been hindered by the formation, killing her would have been incredibly difficult. The woman's strength was truly terrifying.
Regardless, the firm and frenzied fighting will in Ya Ya's eyes did not diminish in the slightest!
At the moment Ya Ya's battle concluded, an earth-shattering boom rang out. The ground trembled violently, and countless terrifying cracks spread across the earth.
At the center of those cracks lay a pile of pulverized flesh and bone, alongside a broken wooden sword!
Next to it stood a figure as strong as an iron tower, holding a heavy hammer. Fresh blood and flesh clung to the end of the hammer.
the genius sword cultivator of the Seven Star Sword Sect, who carried a blood-stained wooden sword, had been defeated! The wooden sword he had nurtured for years was completely snapped!