chsdbacks Chapter 180 Qilin Remains_Fire Demon
Chapter 180 Qilin Remains_Fire Demon
It was indeed the head of a Qilin—its outline still vaguely discernible—but it was completely unrecognizable, utterly devoid of its former majestic grandeur. One of its once imposing antlers was broken, and the other was riddled with cracks, writhing with constantly twisting black flames. The eye sockets no longer burned with sacred golden-red flames, but rather two constantly writhing, leaping, eerie green will-o'-the-wisps filled with endless pain and madness. Deep within those flames, countless grotesque faces could be vaguely seen struggling, howling, and contorting.
Its face and neck, once covered in magnificent scales, were now torn open, charred, and rotting. In many places, the scales had peeled away, revealing the black, pus-filled, rotting flesh beneath. The surface of the decaying flesh was crawling with maggot-like black threads, constantly wriggling and burrowing in and out. Its mouth was wide open, unable to close, revealing a crisscrossing network of fangs, each thicker than an adult's arm. Corrosive saliva dripped from the fangs, instantly scorching smoking pits into the ground. Deep within its throat, dark red flames surged and churned, as if ready to unleash a destructive breath at any moment.
This is the remains of the Fire Qilin—no, it should now be called the "Fire Demon".
It was completely corrupted and eroded by the aura of that "external demon," and after undergoing a long period of transformation, it has become a terrifying monster that only knows how to kill and destroy, exuding overwhelming evil and death energy!
Its two eerie green "eyes" slowly rotated, locking onto the only two "living people" in the stone chamber—Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo.
The moment it saw Nie Lingfeng—especially when it sensed the pure Qilin bloodline aura emanating from him—the fire demon visibly froze! Its two eerie green flames flickered violently, as if caught in some chaotic recollection and struggle. Its rotting head tilted back slightly, and a low, mournful whimper, tinged with confusion and pain, escaped from deep within its throat.
But the next moment——
That chaos was replaced by even more intense violence, hatred, and a devouring desire!
"roar--!!!"
It opened its rotting maw and let out a deafening roar filled with endless resentment and hunger! The sound waves from the roar were so real that they stirred up a gale in the stone chamber, scattering the rubble on the ground! Its massive, mountain-like body suddenly exerted its strength, and its two giant claws tore fiercely to both sides, about to leap completely out of the hole!
"Now! Chen Duo, inject your inner strength and unleash your sword intent! First strike from the left!" Nie Lingfeng's eyes widened, his pupils flashing with a sharp light, and he roared! This roar was like a thunderclap, echoing throughout the stone chamber.
At the same time, he stopped focusing on maintaining the balance of the three divine objects in the air—because it was too late—and suddenly withdrew all his strength, gripping the hilt of the Snow Drinking Blade at his waist with both hands. His inner strength surged into the blade like a river bursting its banks!
"Zzzzt—!"
The icy blue blade light, like lightning piercing the night sky, instantly illuminated the entire stone chamber! The moment the Snow Drinking Blade was drawn, it emitted an excited tremor, a clear and resonant sound, like the roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix! The incomparably sharp blade intent soared into the sky, and countless tiny ice crystals condensed in the air around the blade, fluttering down in all directions!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Duo gripped the peerless sword tightly with both hands, and her pure Phoenix True Fire inner energy poured into the sword like water from a burst dam!
"Buzz—!"
The peerless, jet-black sword trembled violently the moment the Phoenix True Fire inner force was injected into it! A deep, restrained, yet terrifyingly powerful gray sword aura, containing the power to create the world, suddenly awakened and burst forth from within the sword! This sword aura was not ostentatious or outwardly displayed, but it carried an unparalleled will to sever cause and effect and annihilate all laws—it was the first sword intent left behind by Bu Jingyun!
The moment the sword energy burst forth, the air around the sword distorted, and light was absorbed into it, as if even space itself was torn apart!
At the same time, Nie Lingfeng poured all his power—the Threefold Returning to Origin Qi, the power of the Qilin, the Xuanwu True Scripture, and the pure killing intent of the Demon Heart Crossing—into the Snow Drinking Blade without reservation! The blade shone with an unprecedentedly brilliant light, with ice blue, golden red, and gray hues intertwining and flowing. The temperature around the blade plummeted, and a thin layer of ice actually condensed on the ground!
A solitary, arrogant, and all-encompassing sword intent resonated with Bu Jingyun's sword intent! At this moment, the sword and the blade transcended the boundaries of time and space, and in this realm, in this place, in the hands of Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo, they once again created a destiny-like resonance!
Nie Lingfeng was suddenly inspired, and the true meaning of "Mahayana Boundless" naturally came to mind—formless and impermanent, infinite and immeasurable! Wind has no form, clouds are impermanent, wind and clouds combine, Mahayana Boundless!
"Mahabhava Boundless—Wind and Clouds United!"
Nie Lingfeng roared, his voice booming like thunder! Gripping his sword with both hands, he slashed at the fire demon, which had just leaped out of the cave and was about to spew out destructive flames from its gaping maw!
This strike was no longer bound by any of the moves of the Six Secrets of Frost and Cold—it was neither a fleeting glance of startled cold, nor three feet of ice, nor a red apricot in the snow—but rather a fusion of his understanding of "wind," his comprehension of "clouds," his control of "frost," his mastery of "flame," and his domination of "demonic nature." It was a supreme strike that belonged entirely to Nie Lingfeng himself, a fusion of the power of wind and clouds!
The blade flashed like a rainbow, slicing through the sky!
At the very moment Nie Lingfeng drew his blade, Chen Duo, inspired by a sudden inspiration, let out a delicate shout! She wielded her peerless sword with both hands—despite its immense weight, the Phoenix True Fire, combined with her all-out effort, drew upon and released the awakened, hazy sword intent of Bu Jingyun, transforming it into a seemingly simple yet heavy, ancient mountain-like, and sharp as a celestial guillotine, gray sword energy that followed closely behind Nie Lingfeng's blade, whistling as it slashed towards the Fire Demon!
The flashes of the blade and the aura of the sword, one in front and one behind—one sharp and the other heavy, one icy and the other chaotic—resonated and merged in a mysterious way the moment they flew out!
The icy blue blade light was infused with gray sword intent, and the gray sword energy also carried a chilling sharpness. The two intertwined, swirling, and entwining, transforming into a gray-blue tornado-like column of wind and rain, over ten feet in diameter, its interior seemingly churning with storms and lightning! The column of wind spun at an extreme speed, tearing the air at its edges and emitting a sharp whistling sound! Wherever the column of wind passed, the stone slabs on the ground shattered inch by inch, being swept into it and instantly turning into dust!
This gray-blue tornado column, carrying terrifying power capable of destroying the world, tore through the air and instantly covered a distance of tens of meters, slamming hard into the chest of the fire demon who had just leaped out of the hole and had no time to completely dodge!
"boom--!!!!!!!"
An indescribable roar exploded in the stone chamber! The sound was so loud that it exceeded the limits of what the ears could bear, becoming a soul-shaking thunderclap! The entire mountainside seemed to shake violently and groan in pain under this impact!
A terrifying shockwave, mixed with blade energy, sword intent, flames, frost, and chaotic energy, swept outwards like a tsunami! Two-thirds of the luminous pearls on the stone chamber walls instantly went out, and the remaining ones dimmed, flickering uncertainly. Numerous cracks appeared on the rock walls, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb, covering the entire wall in the blink of an eye! Debris rained down like a storm, crashing to the ground with deafening roars!
"Roar—!!!"
The fire demon let out a deafening, agonizing, and incredulous scream! The scream was so loud that it almost shattered eardrums!
Its massive body was struck hard by the gray-blue tornado pillar, and the already rotting flesh and charred scales on its chest were instantly obliterated as if made of paper! A huge hole with a diameter of more than three meters appeared in the center of its chest! The edges of the hole were frozen frost and constantly extinguishing black flames, ice and fire intertwining and hissing! Deep inside the hole, one could vaguely see pitch-black entrails and twisted bones that were still writhing wildly!
Its massive body, which had just leaped halfway out, was blasted backward by this terrifying blow, crashing heavily against the rock wall at the edge of the cave! The force of the impact was so great that it shattered the hard rock and embedded itself deeply! Debris and dust filled the air, burying half of its body.
With just one strike, this seemingly invincible fire demon was severely injured!
however--
Before Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo could even feel happy, their expressions suddenly changed!
Suddenly, from the wound in the fire demon's chest, where a huge hole had been blasted open, the writhing, black entrails and twisted bones erupted with an even denser, ominous black aura! The black aura spread rapidly, like ink dripping into water, enveloping the entire wound!
At the same time, the chaotic and evil energy deep within the cave, and throughout the entire stone chamber—no, the entire corrupted Lingyun Cave—seemed to be summoned by some instinct, and surged madly toward the Fire Demon's wound! That energy was formless and intangible, yet it carried a strong stench and malice, like countless black venomous snakes, crawling into the Fire Demon's wound from all directions!
The fire demon's wounds were being filled and repaired at a visible speed by black energy and newly formed, even more twisted and disgusting flesh buds! These flesh buds were dark red, covered in mucus, and wriggled and intertwined wildly, filling the huge hole little by little! The speed of the repair was simply unbelievable!
Not only that--
The Fire Demon's two ghostly green eyes burned even more wildly and intensely! It stared intently at Nie Lingfeng—no, at the three orbs of Qilin marrow, Phoenix blood, and Dragon essence in the air behind him, which had begun to tremble slightly and whose light flickered due to losing Nie Lingfeng's control!
Those eyes were filled with endless greed, longing, and an almost instinctive, frantic obsession to reclaim what belonged to him!
It opened its rotting maw, and from deep within its throat came a low, yearning whimper. In that whimper, there was even a faint hint of… pleading and begging?
But the next moment, that pleading was devoured by an even more frenzied greed!
"It... wants to devour those three things!" Nie Lingfeng instantly understood the fire demon's intention. Corrupted, it might still retain a trace of its instinctive craving for the Qilin marrow—after all, it was the essence left behind in its previous life—and the phoenix blood and dragon essence were even more invaluable to it! If it were to devour them, the consequences would be unimaginable! Not only would it be fully healed, but its strength would also surge, and then…
"We can't let it succeed!" Nie Lingfeng gritted his teeth, forcing himself to maintain his almost exhausted inner strength, gripped the Snow Drinking Blade, and was about to make another move.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
Just then—
The three divine objects in the air, having lost their balance and suppression, and further influenced by the fire demon's aura below and the aftershocks of the Maha Boundless, finally reached their limit! They trembled violently at the same time, emitting a humming sound that seemed like a mournful cry!
The triangular balance has been completely broken!
Crimson, ice-blue, and golden light flashed wildly, clashing and colliding, eroding and devouring each other! At the center where the three distinct energies intertwined, a highly unstable energy sphere formed! The energy sphere grew larger and brighter, seemingly on the verge of exploding out of control—or being forcibly drawn in and devoured by the power of the fire demon below!
A close call!
Inside the stone chamber, the roar of the fire demon, the buzzing of the divine objects, and the thunderous crash of falling rubble intertwined to create a symphony of death. The three divine objects swayed precariously, like candles flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment—or perhaps, to unleash a catastrophe capable of leveling the entire Lingyun Cave.
Nie Lingfeng gripped the Snow Drinking Blade tightly; its blade was icy cold, yet it couldn't suppress the surging killing intent within him. Chen Duo held her sword with both hands; the peerless sword trembled slightly in her hands, its gray light flickering, ready to unleash its sword intent once more.
The fire demon, its massive body embedded in the rock wall, was struggling violently, sending rubble tumbling down. Its eerie green, ghostly eyes were fixed on the tri-colored light in the air, saliva dripping from its mouth, and a thirsty whimper emanating from deep within its throat—