Chapter 322: Lieyang Loses His Grip and Falls into the Sea of Fire

Lingxiang had never seen such a battle of Witchcraft; rather than a battle of Witchcraft, it was more like a fight of Body Movement.

Although Lieyang Zhenren was wrapped in flames, he fought the Demon Lord in close quarters, as if he intended to burn the Demon Lord with the flames enveloping his body; the wind from his fists within the raging fire whistled sharply, like a flag in a gale.

The Demon Lord was naturally no ordinary person; although Lieyang Zhenren's offensive was swift and fierce, the Demon Lord was able to dodge with ease, and as they exchanged blows, it was as if old friends who had not met in a long time were sparring with one another.

However, even though the two of them fought until the daylight suddenly vanished and the winds swirled and clouds surged, Lingxiang did not watch for long. At present, the Demon Lord could not divide his attention, and the several Demon Generals were each being held back, which gave her a chance to catch her breath.

Although Lingxiang had appeared calm just a moment ago, her heart had been tense all the while; now, she finally had the opportunity to properly relax.

Long Qi had just been swept away, and that impact had been no light matter. Lingxiang steadied her breathing slightly and hurried over to check his injuries. Fortunately, although Long Qi looked disheveled, after a pulse check, there were no internal injuries; it seemed the Hanyu Pill had taken effect. Looking at the unconscious Long Qi, Lingxiang lowered her head, leaned to his ear, and whispered:

"A person lives a lifetime, not just eight or ten years; between the spring and autumn, temporary hardship is unavoidable, but do not speak lightly of giving up!"

Long Qi's consciousness was still in Chaos, but somehow, this sentence was clearly audible, like a muffled thunderclap in the darkness—a fleeting moment of clarity that startled him into alertness. It was just that the Demon Lord's blow earlier had truly shown no mercy; for a moment, Long Qi could only widen his eyes slightly, searching through the blur in his confusion.

At this moment, a figure appeared silently behind Lingxiang.

"Have you truly made up your mind?"

It was so muffled, as if the voice came from inside a jar.

It was the person who had been wearing the mask earlier!

Lingxiang was greatly alarmed, but she dared not act rashly, only shielding Long Qi in her arms to prevent that person from attacking. Yet, strangely, that person remained motionless, as if waiting for Lingxiang's response.

"What do you mean by this, sir?" This person's words had a hidden meaning; could it be that he had seen through her plans? But... how did he know?

"The young lady is a person of clear insight; I assume you understand my meaning, otherwise..."

Otherwise?

"Otherwise, Tumi Xianzi would not have left not a single word, entrusting everything to a mere child like you."

Upon hearing this, Lingxiang was both suspicious and shocked. She was suspicious because, could this person know her mother? And what was the meaning behind his words? She was shocked by the implication of his words—could it be that he knew of her schemes? How did he know? If he told the Demon Lord, wouldn't that...

As if he had seen through Lingxiang's thoughts, the man said only faintly: "Young lady, rest assured, I will not mention a single word of this to the Venerable One; this matter ends here. I am merely acting out of good intentions. If you have truly made up your mind, the reasons behind it will all be told to you in the future."

Lingxiang furrowed her brows, pondering whether this person was trustworthy, but clearly, the current situation left her no choice. Thinking this, Lingxiang smiled: "Since you have said as much, I assume you know of my plans. As for why I am doing this, do you intend to continue playing the fool while knowing the truth?"

Hearing this, the masked person gave a soft huff, said only "Good courage," and then dissipated into a cloud of mist.

The shadow that had loomed behind her vanished, and only then did Lingxiang heave a sigh of relief. At this time, Long Qi also regained consciousness. He had heard everything in a muddle just now; now that he was awake, he hurriedly tried to get up, wanting to protect Lingxiang, but he could not muster any strength.

Strange, strange—what was wrong with him today?

Lingxiang just smiled and rubbed the space between Long Qi's brows, then looked at the two figures fighting fiercely in the air.

Those two figures tore through the gloom of the sky, leaping between the sea of clouds and maneuvering beside the lightning; their shadows moved with the wind, the wind coiled like a swimming dragon, every move was ruthless, and every fist struck home. However, perhaps because their cultivation levels were equal, even though the celestial phenomena were terrifying, they had yet to determine a victor.

Storybooks often say that when experts spar, one move is enough to tell who is superior, yet they never say how many moves are exchanged before a winner is decided.

However, what Lingxiang found strange was that although one followed the Immortal Dao and the other the demonic path, when viewed from afar, their moves were inexplicably somewhat similar.

Could it be that she was too far away to see clearly?

It was not just Lingxiang who had such doubts; even Lieyang Zhenren in the air felt the same. Not long after engaging the Demon Lord, he discovered that although the Demon Lord was mostly parrying his moves, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity between the techniques, as if...

As if it were those days of sparring under the tree many years ago when he was seeking the Dao.

Lieyang Zhenren felt strange in his heart, but his moves did not stop. However, he did not wish to prolong the battle; with a "Blazing Sun Striking Wind Palm," he aimed straight for the Demon Lord's chest, and taking advantage of the moment the Demon Lord dodged, he widened the distance between them.

Looking at the Demon Lord standing with his hands behind his back on the clouds, Lieyang Zhenren hesitated for a moment before finally pinching his fingers to form a hand seal. He had not wanted to use Witchcraft, fearing he would lose his composure and harm the innocent, but at this point, he feared he had no other choice.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning exploded in the already dim sky. Then, above the dark clouds, a faint firelight emerged, causing the rolling, thick clouds to instantly become like dense smoke in a raging fire, surging and roaring. Before long, a stream of fire streaked across, suddenly piercing through the thick layer, then another, and another...

Streams of fire tore through the sky like a natural disaster descending, yet they gathered in front of Lieyang Zhenren in mid-air, continuously converging, circling and compressing between his fingers, releasing a brilliant light of ten thousand zhang.

The brilliant light was blinding, causing everyone on the ground to cover their eyes. It was then that Lieyang Zhenren let out a roar, his voice shaking like thunder, resounding through the sky.

"Go!"

That blinding light, like the high sun at midday, left his hands at Lieyang Zhenren's shout and charged straight at the Demon Lord. In the blink of an eye, the firelight exploded, the sound shaking the heavens and earth, louder than any thunderclap.

For a time, the people on the ground did not know whether to cover their eyes or their ears. Yet, even more terrifying was that as the sound of the explosion rang out, streams of fire seemed to break free from their restraints, and after the explosion, they smashed violently down toward the earth.

Chaos descended instantly, and only after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea did it subside; the earth was now a sea of fire, like the Bayan Lianyu.

Yet, high in the air, the Demon Lord was completely unharmed!

"It has been many years, and Senior Brother's cultivation is still as unfathomable as ever!"

Hearing the Demon Lord's words, Lieyang Zhenren was instantly so shocked that his eyes widened.

"Wha... what did you say?"

Could the person before him be?

Just as Lieyang Zhenren was filled with astonishment, he heard the Demon Lord change his tone and say: "But it is a pity that this visit is not to reminisce with Senior Brother."

As soon as the words fell, the Demon Lord vanished in an instant. At this moment, a sharp pain came from behind Lieyang Zhenren, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Hearing only a sigh beside his ear, Lieyang Zhenren fell from mid-air like a kite with a broken string, landing in that sea of fire.