Chapter 480: A Flash of Cold Light from Longyuan

In the distance, flames soared to the heavens and thunder rumbled incessantly; within Fengdu City, Bai Wuchang stood with hands tucked into their sleeves, their expressions indifferent as they gazed intently.

Is this thousand-year farce finally about to subside?

Just as the two were watching, a gust of wind arose, and when it ceased, a figure had quietly appeared behind them.

The two did not turn their heads, merely bowing in greeting without a word; instead, the newcomer brushed off their robes and began to complain.

"Tubo is truly lacking in gentlemanly conduct; it was but a game of Go, yet he had to resort to cheating—it is truly vexing."

As the dust and mist dispersed, it was revealed to be the Ziwei Emperor, who was leaning on a zither; looking closely, it was none other than Lingxiang's zither, "Listening to the Wind-Blowing Rain."

It is unknown when it began, but the once dignified and solemn Ziwei Emperor had suddenly undergone a complete change in temperament, becoming a veritable old urchin.

Bai Wuchang seemed not to hear the Ziwei Emperor's complaints, continuing to watch the thunderous black clouds in the distance on their own.

"I wonder if that little girl can survive this tribulation," Bai Wuchang said, a look of worry appearing on their face.

"She certainly can; this old man's zither is still being kept for her!"

No sooner had the words fallen than the zither strings stirred, and a small child manifested, their hair styled into two buns like ox horns.

"The Emperor still intends to give me to that little girl?" the child said with a bitter expression. "Her zither playing is even more unpleasant than the Changyou of Guishan..."

It turned out this child was Qiuniu, a disciple of the Ziwei Emperor, who had resided within this zither for a thousand years.

The Ziwei Emperor smiled and stroked the child's head to soothe them, saying, "Just gain a few more years of experience by that little girl's side; I will surely bring you back to the Heavenly Court in the future."

Little Qiuniu pouted, unwillingly retreating back into the zither; the Qiuniu carving on the head of the zither pursed its lips, looking thoroughly dissatisfied.

Though he said this, the Ziwei Emperor could not help but look in the same direction, his eyes narrowing slightly: Little child, since fate has brought you together, be sharp—do not let this opportunity slip by!

The direction the three deities were watching was precisely Yinxu Hall, where the situation inside was currently tense and ready to snap.

Facing the sudden change, Long Qi did not dare to act rashly; he could not gauge exactly how much strength this youth with the sinister gaze possessed.

After all, the shell he had used for Possession was already so difficult to deal with, let alone this body, which was his own to begin with.

Long Qi hesitated and could not move, but the Demon Lord struck first, brandishing his Long Halberd and charging over without warning.

The sudden attack caught Long Qi off guard, and he could only raise his sword to block; yet, the moment the sword and halberd collided, he realized his thinking had been too naive.

With a "Clang," sparks flew in all directions; in that instant, Long Qi felt a tearing pain in both arms, and in the blink of an eye, the fabric of his shoulder sleeves split open as if cut by scissors.

As the sleeves tore, his shoulders were suddenly ripped open, blood gushing out; the wounds were as clean as the tears in the fabric.

What powerful Qi!

Not only that, a tremor accompanied by a loud roar occurred simultaneously; just as everyone was confused, the entire Yinxu Hall began to tilt.

Yinxu Hall had been sliced horizontally, and the roof was sliding off along the cut!

Several main pillars shifted, dust fell continuously, and everyone's heart leaped into their throats.

Fortunately, the remaining pillars held firm, and after a short while, the tilting stopped.

It seemed it would not collapse, and everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Long Qi had just relaxed when the Demon Lord struck again, raising the Long Halberd high and bringing it down in a chopping motion with the wind; Long Qi had no time to dodge and hurriedly blocked with the Longyuan Sword.

Bao Yan had held back some of his strength this time, so the great hall suffered no further damage, but Long Qi was still injured.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Long Qi intentionally turned his body to dodge while bracing his sword, but Bao Yan's moves were overbearing, and Long Qi's thigh, in a deep squat, was still affected.

His leg was ripped open, and the pain forced Long Qi's body to sink; he barely managed to withstand the Demon Lord's Long Halberd, but fortunately, the wound was not deep and did not damage his meridians. Perhaps it was because the Demon Lord had just switched back into his body and had not yet adapted.

Long Qi endured the pain, swung hard to shake off the Long Halberd, and took the opportunity to retreat a dozen feet.

This little Demon Lord's moves were strange and unpredictable; using Witchcraft for a long-range attack would be most appropriate.

Seeing Bao Yan leap up and pursue closely, Long Qi hurriedly formed seals and initiated his stance; taking advantage of Bao Yan being mid-air, a Fire Formula flew out rapidly.

The flames roared, like a long dragon chanting incessantly, whistling toward Bao Yan.

The fire dragon's approach was fierce, but Bao Yan's expression did not change; he merely swung his Long Halberd, scattering the Witchcraft entirely.

"A mere petty trick."

Facing Bao Yan's mockery, Long Qi grinned; as his hand seals shifted, the scattered flames began to move like a long Snake, changing direction and converging toward Bao Yan.

The fire Snakes approached from all sides, either converging or circling, as if waiting for an opportunity, none of them rashly crashing into Bao Yan.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant, then suddenly accelerated its passage.

The scattered flames suddenly transformed into sharp arrows, piercing toward Bao Yan like a driving rain.

Bao Yan snorted in disdain, twisting his shoulders and waist, spinning his Long Halberd into a blur in mid-air to deflect all the Fire Method.

However, though the flames were deflected, they did not dissipate; they merely curved and charged at Bao Yan once more.

Bao Yan frowned, slashed with his Long Halberd to carve out a path in front of him, and then leaped out, avoiding Long Qi's Fire Method.

Where Bao Yan had originally been, the streaks of flame collided with one another, emitting a hunting sound, and before long, they converged into a giant dragon again.

The giant dragon roared and pursued Bao Yan closely; Bao Yan grew impatient, turned around, and let out a roar, releasing a blast of energy that caused the entire Yinxu Hall to tremble incessantly.

The tilted roof slid down a bit more, dust falling continuously with a rustling sound, chilling everyone's hearts.

The fire dragon vanished in the clash of energy, leaving only a few wisps of lingering fire dissipating weakly, as if reluctant to leave, yet unable to change their fate of disappearing.

But at this moment, a cold gleam flashed, and the Longyuan Sword broke through the fire, heading straight for the Demon Lord's face.

A cold gleam?

Looking at the ancient-looking great sword before him, a flash of doubt crossed the Demon Lord's eyes, and equally puzzled was Long Qi, who was controlling the sword from afar.

Since taking possession of the Longyuan Sword, Long Qi had never seen it reveal its edge, yet in that instant, he had truly seen the sword's gleam.

Long Qi steadied his gaze and continued to manipulate his finger seals.

With a powerful enemy before him, now was not the time to dwell on such trivial details.

Yet Long Qi had forgotten Lingxiang's frequent warning: details are often the key to success or failure.

The Longyuan Sword's momentum was swift, striking straight for Bao Yan's face. Bao Yan sneered and swung his Long Halberd, intending to sweep the Longyuan Sword aside, but as the sword drew near, his pupils constricted.

The Demon Lord Boyan had actually dodged!

In that split second, Bao Yan had instinctively sensed a threat of death; the stinging pain between his brows remained, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

It had been a long time since he felt this way! The last opponent who made him feel threatened was Lingxiao, yet in the end, he had still been slightly superior.

Facing the threat of death, Bao Yan showed no panic; the bloodline of the Demon Race, instead, made him even more excited, and he leaned in and flew toward Long Qi, his eyes filled with the desire for slaughter.

(End of this chapter)