An aura piercing through the muck of Poison Dragon Swamp suddenly reached the bottom of the lower waters. Everyone turned their heads simultaneously to sense it.
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
"Could it be the last disciple of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch?"
"Hah. This person is steeped in Evil Qi. If he isn’t the last disciple, could he possibly be here for Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits?"
"Judging by his tone, he’s harboring ill intent."
"That’s to be expected. Do you really think Mo He Divine Monarch planted that Demon Seal on Xie Zhihan just to protect her?"
"But based on this aura, he’s clearly no match for Mo He Divine Monarch, right?"
The newcomer’s voice echoed through the lake water into the stone hall without making any attempt to mask his aura. Taoist Yan Ling sensed it clearly—this person might be slightly stronger than the Scorpion Spirit Xie Zhihan, but there was absolutely no way he could rival Mo He Divine Monarch.
"It doesn’t matter. Since this Evil Qi delivered itself to our doorstep, there’s no reason to refuse a free gift!" Taoist Yu Zhang said with a smile, turning around.
The Underground Demon Cave was right here; it wasn’t going anywhere. Their top priority was naturally to eliminate this clueless target who had come looking to make trouble for Mo He Divine Monarch. As for who he was or what his motives were... it didn’t matter.
Taoist Yu Zhang, Taoist Qingwei, Taoist Yuan He, and Taoist Yan Ling walked out of the stone hall one after another. Looking up into the lake water, they saw a youth of sixteen or seventeen. He wore a tight-fitting black outfit layered with leather armor. He was fair-skinned and handsome.
Seeing Taoist Yu Zhang and the others appear, the youth was taken aback. He frowned and shouted, "Who are you people? How dare you trespass into Poison Dragon Swamp!"
Without waiting for a reply, he pointed a finger. Endless black threads surged from behind his back, transforming into a massive net that blotted out the light as it swept down toward the four of them.
"Good, good, good!" Taoist Yu Zhang nodded with a smile. "He certainly has a no-nonsense style."
Taoist Yuan He also chuckled. "I like this style."
He similarly pointed a finger, sending his Pure Yang Flying Sword shooting forward. The Flying Sword wavered slightly in the lake water before triggering a Sword Light Division. It split into tens of thousands of golden rays, its razor-sharp aura tearing through the water to pierce the black net.
Meanwhile, Taoist Yu Zhang formed the Celestial Pig Seal with his hands and chanted the Celestial Pig Curse. One after another, the Dharma Aspects of Celestial Gods and Celestial Divine Beasts manifested directly behind the youth in black.
Marshal Celestial Pig, possessing eight arms that respectively held an Axe, Halberd, Bow and Arrow, Sword, Halberd, Seal, and Bell, radiated a brilliant Divine Light that shone upon the youth in black.
The Nine Elements Evil Child stirred up fierce winds, sweeping through the lake water.
The Five Ding Governors condensed the water into ice, sending it crashing down.
The Seven Rulers Eight Spirits Sword Qi pierced the water, thrusting straight toward the youth’s back.
The Supreme Bright Fierce Divine Fire blazed furiously, surging forward with overwhelming force.
Setting aside the sharpness of Taoist Yuan He’s Flying Sword, the power of Taoist Yu Zhang’s Celestial Pig Great Curse alone was devastating. The manifested Dharma Aspects of Celestial Gods and Celestial Divine Beasts connected with the Divine Power of heaven and earth, commanding the majesty of deities. Bolstered by the Taoist True Qi Divine Spell, no one could ignore this Attack—unless their Dao Practice was at least two realms higher than Taoist Yu Zhang’s.
The youth in black couldn’t afford to ignore it, but he also couldn’t disregard Taoist Yuan He’s Pure Yang Flying Sword. Although he was somewhat surprised by these experts who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his expression remained unchanged.
He continued to counter the Flying Sword with his black threads. Then, he reached out his hand and grasped the air, summoning a Great Seal into his palm. Engraved on the bottom of the seal was an eight-legged spider. With a gentle shake, boundless Evil Qi and Demon Power gathered, blocking all the incoming Attacks from behind him.
"Are you servants taken in by my Eldest Senior Brother?" the youth in black asked with a frown.
The next to strike was Taoist Yan Ling. He patted his gourd, and a Jade Ruyi flew out, hovering above his head and emitting seven-colored light. The black threads that had been clashing relentlessly with the Pure Yang Flying Sword like crashing ocean waves were suddenly bathed in the Divine Light. As if sapped of all strength, they immediately softened and drooped.
In the next moment, the Divine Light shone upon the youth in black. Even though he marshaled his Demon Power to resist it, he still felt his limbs grow weak and his bones turn brittle.
"Break!" the youth in black shouted fiercely, channeling power into the Great Seal in his hand. A cloud of black mist enveloped his body, blocking the illumination of the Taiyi Divine Light.
An instant later, endless threads of Sword Qi swept toward him. The youth’s body dissolved into a mass of black clouds, traversing hundreds of feet in a mere blink to evade Taoist Yuan He’s Flying Sword. But the very second he materialized, a black-and-white Tai Chi Diagram abruptly appeared beneath his feet. Yin Yang Sword Qi crisscrossed upward, seeking to shred him to pieces.
The youth’s pupils contracted, and he moved once more. A streak of black light and a wisp of white mist intersected. The Tai Chi Diagram quietly dissipated, but a drop of emerald blood had blended into the lake water.
"How bold!" The youth in black was flying into a rage.
He sensed that the Cultivation of the four men across from him was only average, yet he couldn’t fathom why the Magic they displayed was so extraordinary that it actually managed to injure him. Logically speaking, opponents with this level of Dao Practice shouldn’t have been capable of harming him at all.
Taoist Qingwei gave the longsword in his hand a light flick. "This old Daoist’s boldness has always been rather vast. I just wonder if Your Excellency can handle it."
Taoist Yuan He, Taoist Yu Zhang, and Taoist Yan Ling all burst into laughter. Their burning gazes fixated on the youth in black. That mocking, malicious look in their eyes made the youth’s hair stand on end. He was very familiar with this kind of look. It was the gaze a hunter gave its prey—a look he often used on others himself.
"That Great Seal is quite interesting. Be careful."
"This guy’s true form should be a spider. His poisonous aura is inherited from the Six-Headed Divine Monarch."
"Don’t let him get away."
The four old Daoists leapt into position, surrounding the youth in black from all four sides. Despite being the weaker party, they had initiated a counter-encirclement.
This maneuver drew a furious laugh from the youth in black. "Do you really think you can make me stay?"
"Can we not?" Taoist Yuan He countered.
The youth in black nodded. "Fine, fine, fine. It seems my Eldest Senior Brother isn’t here. Although I don’t know why you’ve shown up in this place, since you’ve come, none of you will be leaving."
He pulled a small box from his robes and flicked it open. In the next moment, a terrifying surge of Demon Power violently erupted. It contained six different types of poisonous gas that suppressively covered the entire bottom of Poison Dragon Swamp. The emerald lake water was instantly dyed in six distinct colors.
This Demon Power emanated a tyrannical, bloodthirsty aura. Rampaging uncontrollably, it miraculously shattered the Celestial Pig Dharma Aspect, the Pure Yang Sword Light, the Taiyi Divine Light, and the Tai Chi Sword Diagram all at once.
In contrast, the Great Seal controlled by the youth in black remained completely unaffected. With a wave of his hand, he recalled it to his grasp.
"This was originally a surprise meant for my Eldest Senior Brother, but using you as a warm-up blood sacrifice isn’t a bad idea either." The youth reached into the box.
A speck of black light flew out, rapidly expanding in size until, in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive spider as tall as four or five grown men. The giant spider extended its eight legs, its bristles as sharp as blades. Instead of compound eyes, its head bore six human faces—representing men, women, the old, and the young. Each face displayed a different expression: playful, weeping, angry, shy, kind, and despairing.
"The Six-Headed Divine Monarch?"
The old Daoists had just seen the statue in the stone hall, as well as the pedestal sealed by the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s own Magic. Naturally, they wouldn’t mistake the entity’s identity.
"It’s the corpse of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch."
"Did he refine it into a zombie?"
"Kill them!" The youth in black formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed at the four old Daoists with the other.
The six faces on the giant spider’s head spewed six-colored poisonous mist, surging toward the Daoists. The four old Daoists retreated in unison.
Suddenly, a streak of purple-gold lightning flashed from the stone hall behind them. It arrived in an instant, rapidly expanding. After passing over the Daoists, it transformed into a Thunder Net that enveloped the six-colored poisonous mist.
A teeth-grating screech that pierced straight into the Divine Soul echoed out, followed by a series of explosive CRACKLE sounds. The purple-gold lightning and the churning six-colored poisonous mist expanded from a single point into a massive wave, spreading across nearly the entire bottom of Poison Dragon Swamp before mutually annihilating each other.
Gu Zhao appeared in front of the old Daoists. "Leave this zombie to me."