Chapter 230: Each Has Its Strengths and Weaknesses; The Plague Demon Is Finally Subdued

Sizzle—

The axe light arrived, impossibly fast.

Fang Longye had no time to react at all; he could only instinctively manifest his Celebration Cloud. Before his Spirit Treasure could even emerge to protect him, this axe strike from Li Yuan was already upon his head.

It struck exactly upon the Celebration Cloud at his crown.

Clang—

The axe light cleaved down, hitting the Celebration Cloud dead center. Instantly, clear light burst forth, and thousands of sparks scattered like rain, falling in a vast spray.

The biting axe light plunged into the Celebration Cloud, like a ferocious great white shark charging into a fishpond, thrashing about.

Everywhere it went, the Golden Flowers, the necklaces, the precious lotuses, and the fish-dragons were all sent flying.

Even those various Spirit Treasures could not provide protection in time.

The earth shook and the mountains swayed; the strange phenomena collapsed.

This streak of axe light, carrying the momentum of opening heaven and earth, directly shattered Fang Longye's body.

In an instant, blood surged and splattered.

"Haha! Did you really think that because my Witch Clan has a fiery temper, I would lose my reason in a fit of rage?"

"I've eaten more salt than you've walked paths, boy. You're still green!" Li Yuan gripped his battle axe and laughed heartily.

Unexpectedly, the flesh and blood shattered by his axe surged for a moment before immediately dissipating.

"Not good!"

Roar—

The sound of dragons chanting and tigers roaring was deafening.

By the time Li Yuan reacted, the space behind him had already torn like a scroll, collapsing like a shattered mirror, with thousands of fragments bursting and flying in all directions.

At the same time, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering spear strike slammed squarely into his Witch body.

Instantly—

Starting from his back and ending at his chest, a massive hole was blasted open, and Witch blood gushed out like a fountain.

This terrifying wound pierced straight through his chest, truly leaving a transparent hole; one could even see the heart beating incessantly within his chest.

Li Yuan's complexion turned pale. The flesh around the wound writhed constantly, trying to heal, but was hindered by the grim Aura lingering upon it.

This Aura originated from the Panlong Spear; it was sharp as a sword, cutting across ten thousand miles, condensed and unyielding.

Amidst the surging and receding torrent of space, Fang Longye stood holding his spear, revealing his form, and stared at Li Yuan with a cold chuckle.

Ever since Li Yuan revealed signs of the Wind lineage, he had been vigilant against his attack speed.

He had not forgotten how he came to Nanzhan Buzhou.

Moreover, did he really think that an axe strike that did not exceed the Golden Immortal level could turn his current physical body into blood and mud? "Come again!"

Strike while the iron is hot!

Tearing through space and revealing his figure, Fang Longye did not hesitate. After his first strike hit, he immediately surged his Dharma power and thrust his spear out once more.

This strike was sharper, more domineering, faster, and more ruthless than the last! The surrounding space was completely obliterated, presenting a strange darkness—not like ordinary spatial rifts, but a darkness bordering on nothingness.

It was as if all light had been swallowed into it, containing great danger, great terror, and great murderous intent.

Roar! Li Yuan, while rapidly recovering from his injuries, swung his giant axe to meet it.

Wind from all directions gathered and accumulated behind the axe, colliding and whispering, combining to form an unparalleled sharpness that struck against the Panlong Spear.

Needle against wheat awn, it blocked this strike from Fang Longye.

Afterward, black-green divine light burst from his entire body. A point of bronze light spread like a spiderweb, covering his whole body from top to bottom.

It was a suit of armor covering his entire body.

With no gaps left, even his pupils were veiled by a strange film of light, protecting him tightly with no blind spots.

Fang Longye's gaze was scorching; he saw clearly that the patterns on this armor were distinct, unlike the textures of the Profound Gate, but originated from the Witch Clan's path—ancient and weathered.

It was not a Spirit Treasure, but a suit of battle armor forged using the unique methods of the Witch Clan.

Once the armor appeared, Fang Longye immediately felt the defense of the Li Yuan before him greatly increase, and he possessed an extraordinary control over the path of Wind.

Just as he thought this, a vast expanse of green light bloomed upon the armor.

Such light was the color of the wind.

Brilliant and mysterious, powerful and majestic.

"Kill!"

Fang Longye stepped on cloud light, holding the Panlong Spear, each strike faster and heavier than the last, his spear shadows like a forest, crashing against this armor.

He did not know the origin of this set of Witch armor on Li Yuan.

No matter how incessant his offensive was, for a time, he only managed to beat the protective divine light emitted by the armor until the green halo collapsed and the residual light splattered everywhere.

Yet he could not injure the interior at all.

This allowed the heavily wounded Li Yuan time to recover his own injuries.

"Damn it!"

Fang Longye could no longer hold back; he simply shook his Celebration Cloud, and a Red Jade Gourd appeared.

Upon the gourd, coiled patterns of dragons were etched; the texture was ancient and grand, blooming with seven-colored light.

On the body of the gourd,

tiny lines were outlined into a diagram, forming the shape of a Taiji Yin-Yang Fish. The surroundings were entangled with seven-colored light, thick and dense.

It was precisely the 'Two Instruments Divine Gourd'! As his Dharma power rose, the seven-colored light emitted by the Two Instruments Divine Gourd circulated. In an instant, as if having passed through ten thousand cycles, it purified into black and white, faintly revealing a hint of Chaos.

Afterward, the mouth of the gourd opened wide,

and a sky-covering murderous intent immediately permeated the air.

It filled the universe, permeating time and space.

A streak of divine radiance immediately burst forth from the gourd—fierce, destructive, and dazzling to the eyes.

Under that brilliance, an aura of great ferocity and malice locked onto Li Yuan, condensing without dissipating.

Wisps of sharpness emerged from the void, resembling blade Qi, resembling sword Qi... swimming about like fish, unanchored in the void, striking the armor Li Yuan had revealed with a clanging sound.

Clang—

Following closely, in but an instant, that streak of divine radiance descended upon his body, instantly slicing a massive gash into the armor covering Li Yuan's entire body and plunging into Li Yuan's flesh.

This caused the Great Witch's injuries to inevitably worsen significantly.

After the strike, the armor on Li Yuan's body also possessed its own mysteries, as it actually repaired itself very quickly.

However—

Although the armor was repaired, his complexion still changed drastically, his expression so gloomy it was as if it could drip water.

Looking at Fang Longye opposite him, the lingering carelessness and contempt in Li Yuan's heart vanished completely.

He faced a formidable enemy.

This Spirit Treasure of the opponent was actually capable of posing a threat to his life.

Seeing the Two Instruments Divine Gourd take effect, Fang Longye felt a surge of joy and immediately urged the divine gourd, wishing to press the advantage.

"A Spirit Treasure?"

"Hmph! Flashy and showy—"

Li Yuan let out a cold snort and, making a prompt decision, took out a small black flag from the animal-skin pouch at his waist and threw it out.

The black flag hung in the air, rapidly expanding.

It snapped in the wind.

Malevolent energy, like boiling water, bubbled incessantly from the large black flag, pouring into the cloud light and water vapor.

It was as if ink had entered a pool, staining the void black and shimmering with an eerie quality.

An inexplicable aura shrouded the surroundings, and Fang Longye immediately realized that the Two Instruments Divine Gourd, which had been poised to strike, had actually "misfired"! "Chiyou Flag?"

Sensing an inexplicable low moan from the Panlong Spear in his hand, Fang Longye had a flash of insight and exclaimed in realization.

Legend had it that to counter the endless and unpredictable Spirit Treasures of the various immortals and gods under Xuanyuan Huangdi, Chiyou had specifically used the techniques of the Witch Clan to forge a Witch weapon in the form of a precious flag. This precious flag was not only an Array Flag used for setting up formations, but also a military flag used to command armies, and it could even be used to restrict immortals and gods from using Spirit Treasures.

And this Witch weapon was also known as the 'Chiyou Flag'.

"Hmph!"

Clad in battle armor and holding a great axe, Li Yuan snorted coldly: "I suppose you brat have some discernment!"

"Do you really think we of the Witch Clan rely only on divine weapons and armor? You have a Spirit Treasure, and I have a Witch weapon."

Fang Longye's eyes were bright as he stared at the Chiyou Flag hovering in the void, saying: "I didn't expect that the legendary Chiyou Flag was not destroyed in the Battle of Zhuolu."

"Hmph!"

"How could the supreme treasure refined by Ancestor Chiyou be easily broken?"

"Then what about the Tiger Soul Blade?" Fang Longye composed his mood and smiled, shaking the Panlong Spear in his hand.

Li Yuan gave a low snort and changed the subject: "You have the assistance of the Map of Mountains and Rivers to suppress my strength. I also have the Chiyou Flag to restrict your use of Spirit Treasures."

"We're even!"

"Even? You actually dare to say the Chiyou Flag is comparable to Nuwa's Map of Mountains and Rivers?"

"Nonsense!" Li Yuan's expression changed instantly, and he said furiously: "When did I say the Chiyou Flag was comparable to the Map of Mountains and Rivers?"

Li Yuan thought to himself, this brat is indeed a rat of the Dragon Clan, full of wicked schemes!

It was no wonder he was so nervous; who in the world didn't know that old woman Nuwa was petty?

Having recovered seven or eight tenths, Li Yuan, clad in battle armor and wielding his giant axe, charged toward Fang Longye.

Fang Longye tested his other Spirit Treasures, but they had basically fallen into silence, their power gone under the influence of the Chiyou Flag.

He had no choice but to hold the Panlong Spear and engage Li Yuan in battle once more, competing only in the art of close-quarters combat.

Because each had their own strengths and weaknesses in offense and defense, and both were restricted, this fight went back and forth, making it difficult to truly determine a winner.

You stab me with a spear, I slash you with an axe; neither could do anything to the other.

During the exchange, Fang Longye asked in a deep voice: "We've fought for so long. I still don't know what relationship you have with that Lv Wen? To make a Great Witch like you appear to provide reinforcements?"

Li Yuan said in a muffled voice: "You entered the lands of our Witch Clan without cause, stirring up boundless strife, and I don't know how many of our Witch Clan's people have perished."

"Do you expect us to sit by and do nothing?"

Fang Longye thrust his spear out and rolled his eyes, saying: "Spare me that rhetoric!"

"With the Map of Mountains and Rivers suppressing the void, not only has the surrounding space expanded by an unknown number of times, but the power of our struggle has never leaked out of this territory."

"What's more, Yang Chan and I moved all the Witch tribes in the vicinity away from the very beginning; who could have perished?"

Li Yuan snorted coldly and did not respond at all.

"Let me guess? Even if that Lv Wen has dabbled in the Demon path, he is still a bona fide successor of the Plague Emperor, not some rogue cultivator."

"Yet he possesses a significant amount of the aura of Witchcraft, and happens to be able to stay safely in these Southern Barbarian Lands; it certainly wasn't stolen."

"Rather, it was obtained openly and honestly from your Witch Clan. To make your Witch Clan cast aside sectarian bias, it seems the goal is not small!"

"Could it be that the Witch Clan is the true mastermind behind the Plague Poison ravaging the southwestern frontier of the Great Han!"

"Stop spouting such slander!"

The axe in Li Yuan's hand was swung more and more violently.

Fang Longye felt a sense of mockery in his heart; he feared that even if his guess wasn't entirely accurate, the Witch Clan was definitely plotting something regarding Lv Wen.

However—

Right now, Lv Wen had offended Yang Chan, and more importantly, he had become a part of the heaven-sent opportunity for Yang Chan this time, so he shouldn't think about staying alive!

Even if he was a successor of Lv Yue, and even if the Witch Clan had sent someone to rescue him.

They are also doomed!

……

On Fang Longye's side, the struggle against the Great Witch Li Yuan had reached a stalemate. Meanwhile, the struggle between Yang Chan and Lv Wen was already nearing its end.

Black clouds billowed, spanning a thousand acres, with black Demon flames and gray Plague Poison burning in an intermingled fashion, exuding a pungent Aura.

It made one subconsciously want to keep their distance.

Yang Chan held the Jade Axe, the Lotus Lantern hovering above her head, as she continuously dissipated the thousand acres of black clouds.

In the center of the thousand acres of black clouds, Lv Wen sat solemnly upon a Black Lotus, his appearance withered and his momentum weakened to the extreme.

Clearly, he had suffered a great loss at the hands of Yang Chan.

"I'll stake it all!"

Seeing that the defeat was inevitable, Lv Wen gritted his teeth and poured everything he had into the treasure he had painstakingly cultivated—the Plague Demon Banner.

"Even if this Three Holy Mother keeps her word, I can only leave behind my True Spirit. This cultivation and Dharma power of mine cannot be preserved."

Lv Wen muttered to himself while sacrificing his own body to refine this Demon treasure.

As everything he possessed merged into the Plague Demon Banner, his entire physical form dissipated.

The 'Plague Demon Banner' suddenly erupted with Demon light, flying straight into the sky.

It unleashed an arrogant black mist, stretching for more than ten thousand miles, boundless and shoreless; wherever it reached, it obscured the sun, moon, and stars.

Wind, rain, thunder, light, sound, and so on—everything in that entire region was tainted by it, abruptly radiating negative Aura of darkness, evil, terror, and destruction.

Wherever it reached, it corroded the heavens and earth.

Yang Chan, with the Lotus Lantern above her, furrowed her pretty brows. She could see the extreme evil and filth within it.

But she could also see that this was not all. The true trump card was still to come, hidden and waiting to be unleashed.

"Forget it! I'll dissipate this black mist first."

Although her temperament seemed somewhat wicked and she was not the type to possess great compassion, she was, after all, following the path of merit and creation.

Allowing this black mist to pollute the heavens and earth would do her cultivation no good.

The Lotus Lantern shone, and boundless Aura of creation permeated the heavens and earth, bit by bit dissipating and annihilating this extremely evil and filthy black mist.

But gradually, as she purified the black mist, wisps of gray mist were extracted from it, containing a great terror.

As soon as such gray mist appeared, it collided with the Aura, producing various Calamities.

"Tribulation?"

Yang Chan's heart jolted.

She realized that this was a trace of the Law of Tribulation, sublimated by Lv Wen from the path of Plague Poison.

Bringing plague to the world—was this not a type of Calamity? Strictly speaking, the pinnacle of the path of Plague Poison was no worse than the path of Tribulation.

However, similar to the path of Tribulation, such metaphysical Laws were inherently stronger in their basic characteristics than the path of Plague Poison from the very start.

Therefore, for Yang Chan at her current stage, the path of Tribulation was far more troublesome than the path of Plague Poison.

After spending quite some effort, Yang Chan finally finished cleaning up the pollution to the heavens and earth caused by Lv Wen's final strike.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Yang Chan walked forward, picked up the Plague Demon Banner that had fallen into the void, and took a look at it.

Looking toward Fang Longye, who was still fighting the Great Witch Li Yuan, she immediately formed seals and incantations, mobilizing the power of the Map of Mountains and Rivers to head toward the Great Witch Li Yuan.

A vast and unstoppable force descended, and in an instant, it suppressed him, making him look like an insect trapped in amber, unable to move.

Along with him, the Chiyou Flag, which was overflowing with baleful energy to the side, was also suppressed.

"Brother Fang, do me a favor!"

Yang Chan threw the Plague Demon Banner directly toward Fang Longye, who was about to walk toward her.

Fang Longye caught it and looked at her; seeing her blinking continuously, his mind turned, and he immediately understood.

He looked at the Plague Demon Banner and saw a dim spark of spiritual light within the banner, yet it revealed an immortal intent; it was precisely the True Spirit of that Lv Wen.

He smiled, activated the 'Refining Immortal Pot' to take it into the pot, and then displayed the Pure Lotus Divine Ability.

Combining the two, in a short while, Lv Wen's True Spirit was completely refined by him.

This descendant of the Plague Ancestor had completely dissipated between heaven and earth~

His True Spirit no longer existed!

(End of chapter)