Chapter 551: Overwhelming Demonic Might (4)

Chapter 551: The Overwhelming Demon Might (IV)

Form the array!

Under the veil of night, Zhang Xishou hovered above the Jade Mountain Daoist Palace, bearing the heavenly mandate, proclaiming to heaven and earth.

He respectfully obeyed the Heavenly Sovereign's edict.

In response like thunder, a sea of red‑black Daoist robes surged upward, treading swords through the air, guarding Zhang Xishou on both sides.

Vast as an ocean, the myriad talismans rippled with a crimson glow, their resonant tremors sending forth tangible ripples that spread through the night.

Li Jun's vision seemed to be kneaded, instantly blurring into a haze. Boundless fog rose from nowhere, gathering at unimaginable speed, and in an instant engulfed the Jade Mountain Daoist Palace for hundreds of zhang in every direction.

The wind howled like a tiger's roar and a dragon's chant; a blaze of golden light pierced the rolling mist, and upon the black clouds hovering in mid‑air appeared a legion of golden‑clad heavenly troops!

A colossal banner was planted in the clouds, its field red with a golden border, a huge 'Zhang' character fluttering in the wind.

Zhang Xishou, astride his golden blade, took his seat upon a cloud‑throne beneath the banner, assuming command of the central army. The two Tiger‑Dragon commanders became the left and right marshals, the nine Daoist divisions served as vanguard generals, the Yellow Turban warriors transformed into heavenly infantry, each eye blazing with killing intent, their divine power like a prison.

The scene resembled a host of deities descending to the mortal realm, encircling the lone, heaven‑defying earthly demon at its center.

Is this going to be a great uprising in Heaven?

Li Jun, plunged into the illusion, leisurely lifted his right hand; the spear tip of his Illuminating Lance flicked out a blossom of light, his dark‑gold armor flowing like water over his body, a vicious red eye set into his brow.

Then let us see today whether your Dragon‑Tiger Mountain Dao stands a foot higher, or I, the demon, a zhang taller!

Boom!

The long street's earth suddenly cracked and sank; Li Jun's figure shot skyward, scarlet flames coiling around his armor, drawing a terrifying streak of light in the gale, hurtling straight into the heavenly troops stationed high in the clouds.

Raise the formation!

At Zhang Xishou's soft cry, a torrent of golden armor surged forward, unfolding its formation in mid‑air, instantly colliding with the incoming blaze.

Li Jun entered the formation alone, his long spear sweeping wide; with each rise and fall, armor split, blood gushed like a spring, limp limbs snapped like twigs, corpses fell like rain.

Yet after only a few breaths, the heavenly host composed of Yellow Turban warriors began to show signs of breaking.

Exterminate the souls!

Beneath the fluttering Celestial Master's banner, Zhang Xishou's countenance unchanged, he spoke slowly.

Countless hovering talismans trembled wildly at his decree, the activated crimson script writhing like living things.

The Orthodox One Talisman Record, the Spirit‑Talisman Array — Binding Net!

Amid the charge, a rolling thunder roared in Li Jun's ears, as if a red‑hot iron rod had been thrust into his brain and twisted violently.

Damn it, this is aimed straight at me, Brother Horse!

The flames licking his armor plates sputtered out, and from his red eye came the angry bellow of the Horse King; though his tone was harsh, the weakness in his voice could not be concealed.

At the same moment, the nine heavenly divisions, long prepared on the battlefield's periphery, finally moved.

Ice Sea, Flame Mountain, Earthen Wave, Forest of Spears.

Talismans of every attribute intertwined and mixed, a saturated assault that nearly filled the whole sky, surging from all directions.

Li Jun's brows knit tight; he fought back waves of dizziness surging in his mind, his chest heaving violently as he drew a deep breath.

Devour the Dragon and Tiger; Dragon and Tiger arrive together!

The Hibernating Official's Method — fully unleashed!

Immense power boiled in his sinews and bones; Li Jun flipped his Illuminating Lance, the spear shaft wrapped in sharp force, smashing down to shatter a fierce, icy golden‑talisman spear‑forest into fragments, then without pause he twisted his body, swung his arm, and flung the spear to blast apart the invading stench‑laden earthen wave.

Even though Daoist arts were as vast as the sea, they could not withstand the overwhelming demonic might!

Li Jun surged left and right amid the myriad brilliant lights, the besieged heavenly troops torn apart by the whirling spear‑shadows into chunks of flesh.

Clang!

The spear tip shattered a Flame Mountain; exploding firelight revealed a golden great axe hurtling forth, wrapped in a piercing wind‑howl, descending to cleave Li Jun's head!

The ambushers turned out to be none other than one of the left and right marshals incarnated beneath that banner — Xuan Qi, the Section Chief of the Nine Dragon‑Tiger Divisions!

At the critical moment, Li Jun, unable to retract his spear thrust, twisted his body and kicked out violently, striking the axe's side and eliciting a metallic clang.

Foiled in his ambush, Xuan Qi spun with the momentum, wrenched the deflected axe back, its cracked blade continuing to sweep before him, its vicious momentum seeking to cleave Li Jun in half at the waist.

Bang!

Li Jun dropped low and punched, shattering the already‑fracturing Daoist weapons into flying shards; simultaneously his right hand grasped the spear's midsection, the extra‑long spear instantly becoming a five‑foot sword, sharp force poured into the tip, piercing cleanly through Xuan Qi's chest.

Ha!

The spear‑pierced Xuan Qi let out a low grunt of pain, his eyes growing ever more ferocious as he clenched his fists and smashed them down upon Li Jun's face without hesitation.

The opponent's fearless valor made Li Jun instinctively narrow his eyes; he twisted his wrist, and the sharp force exploded!

A dull thud sounded within Xuan Qi's body; the pair of fists still descending halted instantly, shattering into countless fine grains of golden sand that blew past Li Jun's shoulder.

Yet Li Jun was astonished to see the golden sand from Xuan Qi's disintegration coalesce into streams, carrying a hint of panic, flowing toward the heavenly banner in the clouds, where it re‑condensed into Xuan Qi's form beneath the flag.

Having survived the ordeal, Xuan Qi's face bore a pallor, his dark, hostile eyes fixed relentlessly on Li Jun.

Is it his Dao‑body that is special, or merely an illusion?

Li Jun's brow furrowed slightly; this was the first time, after slaying countless Daoist orders, that he had encountered such a peculiar circumstance, leaving him momentarily bewildered.

Yet as he pondered, amidst the scattered wreckage of Daoist weapons filling the air, a jade‑green flying sword drifted silently to a point not far behind Li Jun.

Beneath the banner, the purple‑robed Celestial Master suddenly gave a cold smile.

The next instant, the sword's tail emitted an inch‑long divine radiance; the blade shifted from stillness to extreme speed, shooting straight for Li Jun's back!

Pfft!

The flying sword suddenly burst forth with speed and power beyond Li Jun's imagining; despite his utmost effort to dodge, he could not fully evade this sneak attack by Zhang Xishou, the blade piercing through his armor and the Mighty Pass and Mountain defense, transfixing his abdomen.

Blood droplets sprayed to the ground; the white vital essence churning in Li Jun's nose and mouth tinged with specks of crimson, his suspended body swaying left and right, as if it might topple at any moment.

Yet even this transformation was not yet finished!

Then Li Jun saw the air behind his right side twist suddenly, and the Section Chief of All Divisions, Xuan Ming, materialized, clutching a talisman and slamming it toward Li Jun's unguarded back!

Should this strike land, the consciousness of this ink‑armored entity would be utterly suppressed at its core, never again able to aid the tiger.

When a warrior sheds his armor, it is like a tiger losing its claws and fangs; then there will be plenty of ways to slowly fashion him.

Upon this thought, Xuan Ming's eyes involuntarily gleamed with delight, as if boundless merit lay within reach.

Do you really think I have no means against you?

A voice suddenly rang in his ears, thick with killing intent, sweeping away the joy from Xuan Ming's face.

Before Xuan Ming could react, a bone‑deep agony surged through his mind; see, his forward‑swinging arm together with the talisman in his palm were shattered to powder by Li Jun's turning punch.

Xuan Ming cried out in terror, about to follow the same method as Xuan Qi and turn to sand to flee, when he abruptly realized his body was no longer the marshal's armor but a crimson Daoist robe!

When did I ever leave the formation?!

Xuan Ming's mind filled with bewilderment, then an all‑encompassing dread seized his consciousness.

Fourth‑rank perfect inner power, Shock the Captives!

Fourth‑rank initial inner power, Vitality Flourishes!

The overlapping inner force ignited, filling Li Jun with killing intent as fierce as boiling water, actually washing Xuan Ming's true form out of the formation's illusion; the five fingers, armored with plates, clamped directly onto his face.

"Soldier's release."

Xuan Ming's heart roared wildly, yet the Ice‑cold voice of the Horse King dispelled all his fantasies of survival.

"In my hand, Horse Lord, where else do you think you can dissolve?"

The five fingers snapped shut like an iron gate, crushing Xuan Ming's skull outright.

Li Jun hurled the headless corpse upward with a raised hand, then thrust his spear through Xuan Ming's dao foundation hidden deep in his abdomen.

[Gained 70 mastery points]

One of the Nine Divisions of the Tiger and Dragon, the General Commander Xuan Ming, from this moment his body perished and his dao vanished.

"What gall, you demon!"

Beneath the dao banner, the daoist's face turned iron‑blue as he rose from the cloud seat.

"Thank you for the praise."

Amid the sea of corpses, the martial man wore a grim smile, his spear shattering bodies.

Their four eyes met; in the depths of their gazes lay an unyielding ruthlessness.

The perfected fourth‑grade inner art 'Shock the Captives' and the newly exchanged martial study 'Vital Breath' from the Heavenly Void spun wildly within Li Jun, unleashing without restraint the suppressive power of the chief of the solitary martial four.

In an instant, countless heavenly soldiers kept pouring down from the cloud heads; as they fell, their silhouettes twisted and swayed, restoring the true forms of the Yellow Turban warriors.

Some low‑ranking members of the Nine Divisions' dao order likewise found their footing unsteady, their garments shifting between golden armor and dao robes, ready to slip out of the formation at any moment.

The pressure forged by genes and the formation woven from divine consciousness clashed before Li Jun; the two lines—one illusory, one real—scraped against each other, throwing off sparks as substantial as solid flame, and as Li Jun stepped forward through the void, he relentlessly pressed toward that dao banner.

At this moment Li Jun's whole body blazed with fierce fire, truly like a worldly demon, charging straight at Zhang Xishou, who stood with hands behind his back upon the cloud.

Boom!

A sudden thunderbolt tearing through the sky collided violently with the spear tip wrapped in evil wind.

Electric light and spear shattered together; Li Jun's forward‑lunging figure tumbled, flipped, and flew backward, slamming heavily into the ground from mid‑air.

Above the firmament, at some unknown moment, a vast daoist phantom appeared, viewed from above, its facial features blurred save for a single star embedded in its brow, blazing brilliantly.

At the same time, the many daoists of Dragon‑Tiger Mountain straining under genetic suppression felt their burden lighten, and in unison they exhaled.

"The sect has already set in motion the Heavenly Orb Star Greedy Wolf; as long as we hold this demon,"

Zhang Xishou's words of encouragement had not yet finished when he saw a figure shrouded in white smoke emerge from the deep pit in the ground.

"Damn, that Heavenly Orb Star's thunderbolt is still quite powerful."

Li Jun, face twisted with feral intent, spat out a mouthful of blood; his blurred right hand slowly bent, clenched, and finally formed a fist.

He slightly bent his knees, then, like an arrow drawn to full tension, sprang skyward once more, lunging toward Zhang Xishou.

Though his tone was scornful, Li Jun knew clearly that the star above his head was no ordinary thing.

He could not afford to give it any more time to charge!

"Xuan Qi."

Zhang Xishou's eyes were blank and indifferent: "The demon who dares offend the dignity of Dragon‑Tiger stands before you; what are you waiting for?"

"Yes!"

Xuan Qi, standing to the side, bowed expressionlessly, then in the next instant flashed out from the clouds.

A palpable, soaring killing intent surged forward; the formation cracked inch by inch, revealing Xuan Qi's true visage.

His disheveled daoist topknot hung down, striking his eyes; his tattered dao robe fluttered in the wind, and a hole pierced clean through his chest.

"Dragon‑Tiger."

From Xuan Qi's throat burst a hoarse roar; scarlet points gathered in his pupils, continually converging, while countless activated talismans and flying swords in the mid‑air were likewise drawn.

"Undefeated!"

The suddenly heightened howl echoed through heaven and earth; Xuan Qi, burning his dao foundation in a death‑struggle, dragged the heavenly implements across the sky like a collapsing curtain, pressing toward Li Jun.

Boom!

A thick pillar of fire shot up into the heavens; the surging air wave carried countless red‑hot dao implement fragments, spreading in a ring that engulfed both Xuan Qi and Li Jun.

The enduring fire pillar stood between two utterly different worlds.

On one side lay the immovable golden cloud sea; Zhang Xishou gripped the fluttering dao banner with one hand, his eyes deep as the ocean.

On the other side lay the ruined Yushan County, rows of houses torn apart by the aftermath like paper scraps, reduced to charcoal within a hundred paces.

No one knew how long had passed; at this moment the surviving lives were too many to count.

When the firelight that illuminated the sky finally died out, and the immeasurable wreckage and ash were blown away by the night wind,

Zhang Xishou's face, however, underwent a sudden drastic change.

For at that very moment, along with the dissipating clouds and the dao banner in his hand,

Zhang Xishou grasped emptily a few times, his snowy white brows knit tight, the corners of his mouth twitching, finally he let out a helpless sigh.

With the casualties of the two dao orders exhausted, the collapse of the formation was exactly what Zhang Xishou had anticipated—not worth surprise.

For he had never hoped to rely on these few people to grind down Li Jun, the chief of the solitary martial four.

Having once experienced the 'Division of Martial Arts under Heaven,' he knew better than anyone how hard it is to kill a solitary martial order that could replace a sect's martial hierarchy.

How many had died mattered not to him; his true killing move was the Heavenly Orb Star Greedy Wolf now charging above his head.

Greedy Wolf.

But now Zhang Xishou horrified to discover he could no longer sense Li Jun's aura.

In other words, the Greedy Wolf above his head could no longer lock onto his opponent.

Yet Li Jun's figure remained plainly before his eyes!

"Indeed, demons are hard to eradicate. Qingyu, keep driving the Greedy Wolf."

Zhang Xishou murmured softly, his form drifting down from mid‑air to the ground.

[Gained 80 mastery points]

[Remaining mastery points 382]

[Consumed 300 mastery points, Vital Breath (fourth‑grade inner art) raised to perfection]

[Conceal Heaven (inner art martial skill) acquired]

Within a pit dozens of zhang wide, Li Jun's half‑body armor lay shattered and broken; the exposed left side of his chest was scorched everywhere, a hazy mist enveloping him.

Li Jun lifted his gaze to the star still hanging in the firmament, murmuring to himself: "Looks like I’ll have to keep fighting you then?"